World Asthma Day (WFD) is celebrated on the first Tuesday of May each year, promoted by GINA (The Global Initiative for Asthma) and with the support of the World Health Organization WHO.
The objective of this initiative, which has been taking place for several years, is to improve the standard of living of asthma patients and collaborate with the medical community to reduce the impact of the disease. Currently asthma is the cause of more than 100,000 deaths a year worldwide.
This year’s motto is ”You can control your asthma” with the intention that patients take charge and control their disease in an active and conscious way to achieve a better quality of life.
What is asthma?
Asthma is a disease that causes the respiratory system to malfunction. The inner walls of an asthmatic’s airways become inflamed and prevent air from reaching their lungs normally. An asthma attack can range from very mild, causing some discomfort, to very severe, preventing breathing in such a way that it can cause death due to lack of oxygen in the organs. It can also be of short duration or last for days.
Asthma is a disease that affects all countries in the world, although with different intensity. It is more frequent in the child population and the number of asthmatic patients grows every year due to the increase in environmental pollution.
Causes of asthma
The most common and well-known cause of asthma is allergy and it usually manifests itself in childhood. In these cases there is also usually a history of allergies in the family. Agents such as pollen, animals or the presence of mites cause asthma attacks.
In adults, the onset of asthma can be caused by stress, infections, or even mental disorders.
Asthma symptoms
The most obvious asthma symptoms are difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, runny nose, very persistent cough for no apparent reason (caused by bronchial spasms) and wheezing when breathing. Less obvious is chest rigidity.
An asthma attack can be triggered by exposure to an allergen (for example, dust mites), prolonged physical exertion, a cold and humid environment, emotional stress, or any common respiratory disease in children.
The severity of asthma symptoms can range from mild to fatal but they usually respond well to treatment with asthma medications.
Asthma treatment
Asthma can be treated and controlled, remaining in a chronic disease. There are two types of medications used: those that provide immediate relief as soon as the first symptoms are detected and others that are more long-term, taken regularly, which aim to reduce and even eliminate asthma attacks in the medium or long term.
The pharmacological treatment must be accompanied by a responsible and proactive attitude of the asthma patient. Knowing the factors that cause asthma attacks in order to avoid them (dust, pollen, pets), making efforts adapted to their physical conditions, eating healthy, not smoking, making rational use of medications and going to the doctor periodically help to control asthma and does not stop normal daily activity.
Living with asthma
Although the quality of life of an asthmatic could be greatly affected, the truth is that if the doctor’s advice is followed and the combination of medications is correct, asthma does not prevent an absolutely normal life. Only in the most severe cases can asthma lead to problems such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis or even heart failure.