The increasing prevalence of asthma in India is quite well known. However, experts are worried over patients delaying seeking medical help for managing asthma. City’s renowned pulmonologists Dr Udvass Kumar Kotokey, Dr Arushikha Rabha and Dr G. L. Pegoo have raised concerns that majority of the patients seek medical help after ignoring the initial symptoms of asthma for more than a year.
Asthma is one of the major health problems in India with an estimated 34.3 million estimated total burden of asthma patients in country, accounting for 13.09% of total global burden, as per recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD, 1990-2019). Also, India contributes to an alarming 42% asthma-related deaths globally. “Despite the increasing prevalence of asthma in India and increasing air pollution in major Indian cities, we have observed that there is still lack of awareness around asthma and its symptoms. We see patients who have ignored shortness of breath for more than a year, before seeking medical help,” said Dr Udvass Kumar Kotokey from ESIC hospital of Guwahati.
Speaking on the misconceptions, Dr Arushikha Rabha, Medicine Consultant from NF Railway Central Hospital said, “It is a major concern that such a huge population is not aware about symptoms of asthma and have several misconceptions. Moreover, there is still lot of stigma and misconceptions among people, about asthma. Two major reasons for such misconceptions are lack of awareness and stigma around the disease. Many patients feel that they will be dependent on inhalers for entire life and won’t be able to execute their daily tasks with ease due to asthma. Due to these misconceptions, patients do not prefer follow-ups, which further impacts quality of life.”
Commenting on the collaborative effort required, Medicine Consultant from NF Railway Central Hospital Dr G.L. Pegoo said, “For World Asthma day (May 7, 2024), we want to sensitize general audience on asthma and its management through early detection. Most patients do not know about the symptoms and treatment options. There is a clear need to spread awareness on asthma. By sensitizing the patients and sharing right information about asthma and its management, we can significantly improve the quality of life.” He also added that right technique about using inhalers should be taught to patients and sharing right information with them will help in better disease management.
There is a clear need to spread awareness among general public on Asthma, considering the prevalence and increasing numbers. By sensitizing and promoting right information, we can significantly improve quality of life for asthmatic patients.
