‘World Asthma Day’ is being observed today in order to improve awareness and care for asthma across the world. The theme for this year is “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), it is estimated that around 235 million people of the world suffer from asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. Children with Asthma have symptoms like wheezing, dry cough and chest tightness, all of which are episodic and reversible. Asthma in children is quite different from adult obstructive disease. It is fairly easy to treat children’s asthma using inhalation therapy, although the exact cause of childhood asthma cannot be identified
Medication is not the only way to control asthma. It is also important to avoid asthma triggers – stimuli that irritate and inflame the airways. With medical support, each asthma patient must learn what triggers he or she should avoid.
Although asthma does not kill on the scale of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other chronic diseases, failure to use appropriate medications or to adhere to treatment can lead to death. However, appropriate management can control the disease and enable people to enjoy good quality of life.
