'20 million people in India suffering from asthma'
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 05 2014: World Asthma Day-2014 would be observed worldwide tomorrow under the theme "You Can Control Your Asthma".

It is an annual event organized on the first Tuesday of May every year by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.

Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao on the eve of World Asthma Day, Associate Professor, Department of Respiratory Medicine, RIMS Dr Haorungbam Sunanda said that Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction and bronchospasm.

Its common symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

She further said that about 1350 million people are suffering from asthma globally, out of which 2,50,000 people die annually.

In India, 15 to 20 million people are suffering from this chronic respiratory disease.

Asthma is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Its diagnosis is usually based on the pattern of symptoms, response to therapy over time and spirometry.

It is clinically classified according to the frequency of symptoms, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and peak expiratory flow rate.

Asthma may also be classified as atopic (extrinsic) or non-atopic (intrinsic) where atopy refers to a predisposition toward developing type 1 hypersensitivity reactions, Dr Sunanda said.

She stated that treatment of acute symptoms is usually with an inhaled short-acting beta-2 agonist (such as salbutamol) and oral corticosteroids.

In very severe cases, intravenous corticosteroids, magnesium sulfate, and hospitalization may be required.

Symptoms can be prevented by avoiding triggers, such as allergens and irritants, and by the use of inhaled corticosteroids.

Long-acting beta agonists (LABA) or leukotriene antagonists may be used in addition to inhaled corticosteroids if asthma symptoms remain uncontrolled.

The occurrence of asthma has increased significantly since the 1970s.In 2011, 235�300 million people globally have been diagnosed with asthma, and it caused 250,000 deaths, Sunanda noted.

She further appealed to the public to avail the advanced medical facility for treatment of asthma at RIMS OPD on every Thursday from 2 to 3 pm, and also advised the asthmatic patients to strictly follow the doctors' instruction and go for regular health checkups in order to lead a healthy and blissful life.

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