Three out of 10 children in India in the six months to six years age group are suffering from asthma. In the case of four per cent of them it becomes a life long problem. WHO estimates that 235 million are suffering from asthma worldwide.
This situation warrants concentration on prevention first and best treatment to control the non-communicable disease, which is also not a permanent disease. Asthmatic condition is that the airways are closed due to inflammation leading to breathlessness, wheezing and tightening of chest. The symptoms are cold and cough.
Office-bearers of district unit of Indian Academy of Paediatricians on Monday explained in detail the condition of asthma and the need to prevent it and also the importance of getting treated the child at the earliest, on the eve of the World Asthma Day being observed on Tuesday with the theme prevention is better than the cure.
Secretary K. Ravi Kiran Reddy, vice-president B. Rajasekhar, treasurer P. Venkateswarlu and joint secretary T.V. Rao explained the various points regarding asthma in children. The number of cases of asthma has gone up during the last 20 to 30 years, mainly due to urbanisation and industrialisation that are causing heavy pollution in the shape of dust and smoke, old vehicles still running causing a lot of pollution and other factors like changes in weather conditions, deforestation, lack of green spaces in the cities, chalk dust at schools, perfumes used by elders at home, smoking by elders at home and in public places, smoke from agarbattis, dust on toys, pets, crackers, pollen from the plants, etc.
Worst-affected
As far as Visakhapatnam is concerned, most of the cases are from Gnanapuram area, confirming that this area is one of the worst-affected due to pollution.
The treatment is through administering medicines orally and through inhalers to relive the person from an asthma attack and then using preventors like steroids to reduce inflammation in the airways of the lungs. Inhaler therapy is the best. The paediatricians assure that people need not worry about the use of steroids since the medicine goes straight to the lungs and does not cause any side affects. “If a child is suffering from asthma or repeated wheezes, its health condition has to be informed to the teachers at the school so that the teachers can take proper preventive method in case the child suffers a sudden attack”, the paediatricians say. IAP is conducting camps at several schools to create awareness among teachers and also parents, the said.
Awareness programme
Paediatricians, who are members of the IAP, are conducting an asthma camp near Port Stadium from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Municipal Commissioner Pravin Kumar will inaugurate the camp.
In the city,
most of the
cases are received
from Gnanapuram area
