Coimbatore: Ahead of the World Asthma Day, observed on the first Tuesday of every May, medical experts in the textile city reiterate the fact that ‘a symptom-free condition is not asthma free’. Doctors’ advice is not to discontinue medication for the condition once the symptoms subside.
“This remains one of the biggest challenges to the management of asthma when medication is discontinued once the symptoms have subsided. This may result in the aggravation of the disease and chances are that symptoms may flare up any time - this time with double impact. It is important to understand that being symptom-free does not mean one is free of the disease. A doctor should always be consulted before taking such steps,” Dr. Jaymohan Unnithan, chest physician at the Kovai Respiratory Care and Research Centre Hospital, said.
Seconding him is Dr.Neminathan, paediatrician, Coimbatore Child Trust Hospital who said, “It is very significant to change the perception towards asthma and inhalation therapy. While inhalation treatment can play a crucial role in reducing the impact of asthma on people’s lives, compliance is crucial. Inhaled medicines help to deliver the drugs directly to the lungs. But we need patients to adopt the treatment as they are prescribed in order to get the full benefit.”
Asthma is a chronic disease usually characterized by airway inflammation and narrowing of the airways, and can vary over time.
On a daily basis, doctors in the textile city see an average of around 40 patients suffering from asthma or respiratory diseases. Of these, a majority of 60 per cent are men. The pediatric asthma segment sees a significant increase on a year-on-year basis. Local doctors admit that they see 25-30 new cases of children with asthma every month.
Medical experts have seen a five per cent increase in the number asthma patients here, as compared to last year.
