Asthma easily manageable with new treatment methods

CHENNAI: Asthma is an allergic disease that is very common among younger population. It is a spectrum of disorders that ranges from sneezing to breathing difficulty. Asthma is not a disease to be alarmed about as it is very manageable and patients tend to have long symptoms-free periods with no medicines.

The disease is a stigma in our country as the knowledge passed down through generations is obsolete of innovations in asthma care. About 25 years ago, asthma was a dreaded disease that required frequent admissions and lengthy hospital stays. Now asthma is manageable in OPD basis and seldom patients require admissions, with the advent of newer approaches to management of asthma, it has become a very easily treatable disease.

Asthma is a spectrum affects all organs of our body which are in constant contact with the environment, like our eyes, ears, nose, throat, lungs and stomach. The symptoms can vary based on the organ involvement, but the majority of the patients present upper or lower respiratory symptoms in the beginning. The cause of asthma is multifactorial as in there is family history where in the disease is passed down through generations. There is also numerous evidence to suggest that the environment in which we live also acts as a contributing factor to the development of asthma.

Whatever be the reason for development of asthma, the fear that is associated with the disease is not founded in science rather has its roots in superstition. Asthma is a very treatable disease and the use of inhalers and other breath actuated device have revolutionised asthma care. The use of inhalers is the safest in the world thanks to low dosage and very minimal side effects even on long term use of drugs.

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