The first Friday of May of every year is recognized as World Asthma Day by the World Health Organization. The purpose of celebrating Tuesday, May 7, as World Asthma Day. It is to ensure that the society has information about asthma and its causes and consequences.
Chronic airway diseases affect millions of people around the world today. Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease, characterized by recurrent shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pressure and cough. Asthma symptoms can vary from person to person and in the same person over time. It usually increases at night and early in the morning.
Asthma affects up to 300 million people from all ethnic and age groups, with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Also, its incidence increases due to changes in living and environmental conditions. Estimates of annual deaths from asthma to be 250,000 people all around the world.
What is the goal of World Asthma Day and how it occurs?
The main goal here is to create awareness about asthma on an individual and social basis.
Asthma occurs with the effect of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. In addition, presence of allergic diseases in parents increases the risk of developing asthma in children. As environmental factors, allergens, cigarette smoke, air pollution and eating habits are effective in the development of asthma.
Sensitivity to allergens such as house dust mites, pollen, animal hair, mold fungi and cockroaches are very common in asthmatic patients. Also, humidity and mold in the environment we live in, exposure to cigarette smoke especially during pregnancy and early childhood are important risk factors for the development of asthma.
Airways in asthmatic patients are hypersensitive due to non-microbial inflammation and over-respond to stimuli (allergens, air pollution, etc.) Allergens, infections, exercise, cigarette smoke and air pollution that we regard as triggers cause asthma symptoms.
Signs of asthma are cough, shortness of breath and wheezing. Also, if these complaints persist or recur for a long time, it should considered that the patient may have asthma. Cough seen in asthma is persistent, recurrent, becomes more pronounced at night and in the morning and can awaken from sleep.
How to protect yourself from Asthma?
It is important to protect yourself with allergies from allergens, to prevent exposure to cigarette smoke, to have the flu vaccine every year, to avoid being overweight and to use drugs regularly and correctly. Also, most of the drugs used in the treatment of asthma taken by respiratory tract.
The use of these drugs with the correct technique is very important for the control of the disease. Also, the most important issue that should not be forgotten is that the most important reason for our failure in controlling the disease is the deterioration of compliance with treatment (wrong technique and irregular use of drugs).
Since asthma is a chronic disease, these problems can only be overcome with the cooperation of a highly experienced healthcare professional and patient. Education of the patient / family and good cooperation with the physician are the most important steps in providing asthma control. All possibilities should be used to ensure this cooperation and education of the patient. In this way, asthma is managed with ease.
Our society and governments also have great responsibilities for asthmatic patients to live more comfortably. Also, the smoke-free project is one of the most important steps taken in this regard. On the other hand, we believe that better targets can be achieved by making the necessary arrangements in the schools / nurseries of our children and raising awareness about the disease.
As a result, our asthmatic patients can lead their lives the way they want. Asthma does not prevent this. Thus, do not be afraid of asthma, on the contrary, be at peace.
