Towards World Asthma Prevention Day

(Patria) - World Asthma Prevention Day is celebrated worldwide on the first Tuesday of May, organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), with the aim of raising awareness and early detection, treatment, control, and improvement of healthcare for asthma patients, according to the Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica.

It is celebrated during spring when the disease is more active, making it the right time to draw the public's attention to its increasing prevalence. Every year, more than ten million people die from respiratory diseases, and hundreds of millions struggle for breath every day – due to asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and pneumonia.

One of the Most Common Chronic Diseases

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, affecting over 300 million people. In the Zenica-Doboj Canton, the number of asthma patients last year was 972. The number of people with asthma (prevalence) is increasing, and it is predicted that by 2025, there will be another 100 million asthma patients worldwide.

International research shows that more than fifty percent of asthma patients have unnecessarily frequent symptoms and a reduced quality of life due to poor asthma control, and over 90 percent of asthma patients still consider the symptoms a normal part of life.

Its characteristics include chronic breathing problems and symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. Asthma is a syndrome characterized by episodes of airway obstruction, increased bronchial reactivity, and inflammation, according to the INZ.

Asthma often first appears in childhood and affects more boys than girls. The most common risk factors that exacerbate asthma symptoms can be permanent (epithelium, pet dander, moisture, mold spores, odors, cockroaches, dust mites), seasonal (tree pollen in early spring, grass pollen in late spring and summer, and weed pollen in late summer and autumn), and occasional (workplace irritants, tobacco smoke, air pollution, physical exertion, stress, chemical irritants, and medications).

Not all forms of asthma are allergic, nor do all allergies lead to asthma. Asthma can manifest in various ways, but the underlying mechanism leading to asthma symptoms is a complex immunological reaction of our respiratory system to various allergens from the immediate environment, leading to an inflammatory response and the release of chemical mediators of inflammation.

Asthma attacks can be severe and life-threatening, but importantly, they can be prevented. In children with a family history of asthma or atopy, the initial development of asthma can likely be prevented by avoiding exposure to passive smoking and house dust, food allergens, pollen, and allergens from cats or other animals. In adults, avoiding chemical sensitizers in the workplace helps.

Treatment and Control

The goal of asthma treatment is to reduce or completely eliminate symptoms, maintain lung function, and reduce exacerbations with minimal medication dosage. Asthma treatment includes medication, hygienic-epidemiological, and educational measures. Medications for long-term disease control and symptom relief are used in treatment.

In addition to medication, good asthma control can be achieved by identifying the allergen causing the disease and avoiding it as much as possible.

This can be achieved through ventilation and regular cleaning of rooms, regular changing of bedding that needs to be washed at high temperatures, staying indoors if the allergen is environmental during times when its concentration in the air is known to be high, and quitting smoking and avoiding smoky environments.

Involving people with asthma in regular recreational and sports activities is of great importance, requiring the proper selection of sports disciplines and adaptation of the training process.

The Institute for Health also states that asthma treatment depends on the level of disease control. The better the disease is controlled, the lower doses and fewer medications will be required, and if the disease is uncontrolled, therapy needs to be intensified and supplemented until control is achieved. 

The best control is achieved by regularly taking the prescribed therapy and avoiding disease triggers. Asthma is controlled when the patient can perform daily activities, work, and engage in sports without difficulty.