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Why is it celebrated as World Asthma  day?

World Asthma Day makes the people to provide each and every knowledge about the Asthma and to get them every preventive measures for their own health. It makes the people to come together to spread the knowledge about the prevention, causes and control of the Disease. 

It is Organised by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), this year marks the 20th annual World Asthma Day in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO states that a total of 235 million people are suffering from asthma. As a part of World Asthma Day, We Pulmonology residents from SVS medical college, Mahbubnagar gave an awareness talk in a Multinational Company about asthma and the risk factors related to it. I am going to discuss more about asthma in this post…

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease which causes difficulty in breathing, wheezing, Chest tightness, Coughing and affects sufferers to varying degrees, asthma is caused by swelling and inflammation of the bronchial tubes, sometimes in reaction to allergens, exercise, stress or changes in temperature.

Is it curable?

As a health condition, asthma cannot be cured but can be controlled by bringing in a few lifestyle changes. It is not usually curable but can be controlled to certain extents, depending on how it affects the sufferer. If it is controlled then sufferers can live relatively normal lives, although some triggers may have to be avoided.

What are the causes of asthma?

Exposure to Indoor allergens  like Dust mites, pollution and pet dander etc.,

Outdoor allergens (such as pollen etc.,)

Tobacco smoke

Chemical irritants in the workplace

Air pollution.

How is controlled?

Asthma is controlled by prevention medications for symptoms and relief medication for flare-ups of asthma symptoms. Education and understanding are keys to effective control of asthma, which can be fatal if not managed properly.

World Asthma Day educates and raises awareness of the condition in the hope of relieving suffering and reducing deaths.

Key facts about Asthma:

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, India has estimated 15-20 million asthmatics.

Some 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. It is a common disease among children.

Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.

According to the latest WHO estimates, released in December 2016, there were     383 000 deaths due to asthma in 2015.

My Special thanks to Dr. Meghana Subash & Dr. Amman Goel for making this talk a successful one..

That’s me while speaking…

  Few Tips to prevent Asthma Attacks:

Regular exercise:  Exercise helps by strengthening your breathing muscles, boosting your immune system and helping to keep a healthy body weight. The key to exercising safely is to make sure your asthma is under control before you start. .

Avoid Triggers: If you are allergic to certain foods, you should avoid them. Allergies can trigger Asthma.

Eat plenty of Fruits & Vegetables & foods that are rich in Vitamin-C & E, Beta carotene, Flavinoids, Magnesium, selenium & Omega 3 fatty acids which are found in Fish like salmon, Tuna and sardines and some plant sources, like Flaxseed.

Avoid Trans-fats & Omega 6 fatty acids. There’s some evidence that eating Omega6 fats and Transfats which are found in some Margarines and processed foods, may worsen asthma.

Most important tip is that make sure that you take your asthma medication as prescribed by your doctor. Many people think they can skip their asthma preventing (controller) medications when they don’t feel any symptoms – that’s not true. Asthma is a chronic (long-term) disease. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, even when you don’t feel symptoms. You have to manage your asthma every day, not just on days when you feel symptoms.

Learn how to use your inhaler properly

Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke.