20 mln Indians suffer from asthma: expert

Mumbai, Aug 2 (UNI) Asthma is a serious problem in India, with an estimated 20 million people suffering due to the disease, said an expert.

In an exclusive interview with UNI, Pulmonologist with Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital here, Dr Alpa Dalal said ''Asthma is a chronic condition with genetic predisposition (that is having history of asthma in the family), which leads to sensitive airways giving rise to irritation and obstruction of breathing tubes generally on exposure to some triggering factors.

''The common triggers are house dust, tobacco smoke (passive or active), air pollution, certain food stuffs, viral respiratory infections, exercise, change of weather and emotional disturbance,'' she added.

The symptoms of asthma are recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, troublesome cough, especially in the night, cough or wheezing after exercise, and tiredness or breathlessness on activities like climbing steps or walking on treadmill, she said.

There are two types of medication for asthma -- relivers and Controllers. Reliver medications are generally inhaled medications to be taken when one have acute breathlessness or cough. They give relief in 5-10 minutes. Controller medications are taken daily on a long term basis to keep asthma under control and remain symptoms-free and to be able to do normal activities.

Dr Dalal, however, warned that ''patients should always remember reliever enhalers are only for SOS use. They should not be used daily and if the patients need it more than two times a week, it means that asthma is getting out of control. ''In more extreme cases, misuse of relievers and under use of controllers can lead to serious asthma attacks requiring hospitalisation, sometimes leading to death. It can also have long-term consequences such as weakening of lungs and reducing the lung capacity and affecting one's day-to-day working,'' the pulmonologist says.

''There is no cure for asthma but it can be 100 per cent controlled by taking precautions like avoiding trigger exposure, taking your controller medications daily, regular exercise and monitoring your disease by regularly consulting your doctor and getting necessary investigations from time to time,'' she adds.

UNI