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Friday, November 04, 2005
Are you suffering from asthma?
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Health 101
WHAT do former Senator Freddie Webb, basketball star Samboy Lim, and champion swimmer Eric Buhain have one thing in common? They are some of the country's famous asthma sufferers.
In the Philippines, 17 percent of the general population, or 12 million Filipinos, suffer from asthma. Thirty-four percent of these sufferers are children aged six to 14. The rest are adults. Asthma has been cited as one of the leading causes of hospitalization and absenteeism from school and work.
"This is alarming, for it means school-children may have their performance in school affected and young adults may lose out on job opportunities and decrease their earning potential due to their ailment. If not treated early, children who are affected with the disease will become disabled," said asthma specialist Dr. Dina Diaz of the Lung Center of the Philippines.
"It is regrettable that people often take asthma for granted, until such time when the disorder is already very serious or even life-threatening," deplores Dr. Felicidad Cua Lim, president of the National Asthma Movement and founding president of the Philippine Society of Allerology and Immunology.
Medical authorities say asthma is due to the inflammation of the air passages in the lungs and affects the sensitivity of the nerve endings in the airways so they become easily irritated. In an attack, the lining of the passages swell causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air in and out of the lungs.
The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are exposure, especially in infancy, to indoor allergens (such as domestic mites in bedding, carpets and stuffed furniture, cats and cockroaches) and a family history of asthma or allergy. A study in the South Atlantic Island of Tristan de Cunha, where one in three of the 300 inhabitants has asthma, found children with asthmatic parents were much more likely to develop the condition.
Evidence is mounting that one irritant that can trigger an asthma attack is air pollution, notably vehicle exhaust fumes, smoke from fires and smokestack emissions. Sufferers are particularly at risk when smog builds up on windless days.
Urbanization appears to be activated with an increase in asthma. The nature of the risk is still unclear because studies have not taken into account indoor allergens although these have been identified as significant risk factors.
"The treatment of asthma varies according to the severity of the problem," wrote Drs. Donald M. Vickery and James F. Fries in Take Care of Yourself. "Some people have only one or two episodes of asthma and are never troubled again. Other people will have daily attacks. These severely compromise their ability to function normally."
Some physicians maintain that children never truly outgrow asthma, but the evidence is otherwise. Drs. Vickery and Fries noted: "More than half of the children diagnosed as having asthma will never have an asthmatic attack as an adult. Another 10 percent will have only occasional attacks during adult life."
Because asthma is a chronic condition, it usually requires continuous medical care. Patients with moderate to severe asthma have to take long-term medication daily (for example, anti-inflammatory drugs) to control the underlying inflammation and prevent symptoms and attacks.
If symptoms occur, short-term medications are used to relieve them.
"Several different prescription drugs are often combined, but we see no reason to begin treatment with such combination drugs," Drs. Vickery and Fries pointed out. "Many of these compounds have phenobarbital added to counteract some of the stimulating effects of the other medicines included; new medications to counteract the side effects of the previous medication could be added continually.
"All these drugs are powerful, and all cause side effects," they warned. "Minimal side effects may be acceptable to relieve major symptoms. If side effects are intolerable, a new treatment can be made. Try to avoid combination drugs."
Unfortunately, because of the stigma associated with asthma, many asthmatics do not take long-term medication to control their condition. "When told of their asthma, many patients do not accept it and will try anything to get rid of it," laments Dr. Ho Ling, consultant at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore.
Unknowingly, asthmatics can participate in athletics. In fact, some Olympic athletes are asthmatics. To name a few: heptathlon champion Jackie Joyner Kersee, wrestler David Schultz and cross-country skier Bill Koch. In the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, 11 percent of the American team were asthmatics.
"Swimming appears to be far and away the best exercise and best sport for the asthmatic," Drs. Vickery and Fries asserted. "Exercise programs with long and steady energy requirements seem to work the best, and swimmers have the advantage of an environment that has very high humidity."
For comments and feedback, write me at tasyo2002@yahoo.com
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (November 4, 2005 issue)
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