Tuesday, May 06, 2008 Over 10M Pinoys suffer from asthma: group
MORE than 10 million Filipinos are suffering from asthma, said a study conducted by the Asthma Insights and Reality in the Asia Pacific Region (Airiap) 2.
Dr. Teresita de Guia, a pulmonologist and one of the Airiap-2 investigators, said of the 10.7 million Filipinos with asthma, only nine percent or around 963,000 are taking proper medications.
This means that 963,000 asthmatics are using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) a preventive medicine for the disease. In addition, only 23 percent of asthma patients are familiar with ICS, said the study.
A total of 3,200 asthmatics from 12 Asia Pacific nations were surveyed in 2001 and 2006 to study the state of asthma management within the region. Four hundred of the respondents are from the Philippines.
Of the total number of Filipinos with the illness, only two percent have controlled asthma while 49 percent have uncontrolled asthma.
De Guia said uncontrolled asthma is brought about by patients’ choice of quick-relief bronchodilators over ICS or preventers.
“Asthma is not curable but it can be controlled. That’s the goal of asthma management total asthma control,” she added.
Bronchodilators acts to relax the muscles that tighten around the airways during an asthma attack while ICS contain anti-inflammatory agents that prevent and reverse the swelling and inflammation in the airways.
According to de Guia, uncontrolled asthma affects patients’ productivity and movement because of “sudden” attacks.
“The more sever you are, the more you have limitations,” she said. (MSN/FP/Sunnex)
