ISLAMABAD: Seven percent of country’s population is suffering from asthma and within next ten to twenty years there might be an increase of about 20 to 25 percent.
This was stated by Chest and Asthma specialist, Dr.Khalid Waheed while talking to a private news channel on the occasion of World Asthma Day today.
Asthma, he said was a chronic disease of the lungs which causes breathing problems. Symptoms of asthma include breathlessness, coughing, wheezing and a feeling of tightness in the chest.
These symptoms vary in frequency and severity, he said adding, when the symptoms are not under control, the airways can become inflamed making breathing difficult. Whilst asthma cannot be cured, the symptoms can be controlled enabling people with asthma to live full lives.
In case of asthma, external elements cause difficulty in breathing due to disturbance in breathing pipe, he elaborated.
Out of every 100 asthma patients, he said, 10 were children. Making a special mention of children, he however, cautioned that there should not be carpet and cockroaches in the bedroom.
Referring to the causes of Asthma, he said, it occurred due to changing weather, pollution, smoke and dust.
Elaborating on other contributory factors in case of asthma, he said, furry animals like cats and plants’ pollen exaggerate asthma.
Making a special mention of pollen allergy in Islamabad, he said ,April to May were the months in which it was at its height.
Talking about the preventive measures, he, however, cautioned that there should not be carpet and cockroaches in the bedroom.
And he asserted, fragrances i.e perfumes should be avoided. Another cause was blood pressure lowering medicines, he added.
Asthma, he said was not contagious, rather it was an inherited disease. About cure of Asthma, he said, it was not 100 % curable but could be controlled by medicines.
Inhalers, he said were the best option to control asthma; He suggested preventive inhalers in this regard. He dispelled the impression, that bananas, rice, milk etc. aggravate asthma.
It is pertinent to mention here that May 3, being the Asthma Day was being observed in Pakistan as well as across the world with aim to raise awareness, care and support for those affected by asthma. Whilst the primary focus is supporting the person with asthma, support may also extend to family, friends and caregivers.
World Asthma Day is supported by the organization GINA, the Global Initiative for Asthma which works with health care groups around the world to help raise awareness. GINA is an initiative taken by the US based National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB). World Asthma Day is also supported by the World Asthma Foundation.
