Asthma awareness programme organised by Fortis Hospital

Ludhiana, May 2, 2016: Asthma Awareness programme on World Asthma Day was organised by Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana. More than 75 patients and their relatives attended the programme. Programme was held under the supervision of Mr.Vivan Singh Gill, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital Ludhiana. Separate rounds of Interaction were held and a lot of queries regarding Asthma were resolved. The whole session was followed by question-answer round on various scenarios of daily life. Screening Camp was also organised for patients with free Spirometry for Lung function assessment.
Giving information regarding Asthma Dr. Amit Gupta, Consultant, Pulmonary Medicine Fortis Hospital Ludhiana said, “Asthma is one of the major non communicable diseases. It is a chronic problem of the air passages of the lungs which inflames and narrows them.
• Some 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. It is a common among children.
• Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
• The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways.
• Medication can control asthma. Avoiding asthma triggers can also reduce the severity of asthma.
• Appropriate management of asthma can enable people to enjoy a good quality of life.
Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated. It creates substantial burden to individuals and families and often restricts individuals’ activities for a lifetime
The causes: The fundamental causes of asthma are not completely understood. The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are a combination of genetic predisposition with environmental exposure to inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways, such as:
• indoor allergens (for example, house dust mites in bedding, carpets and stuffed furniture, pollution and pet dander)
• outdoor allergens (such as pollens and moulds)
• tobacco smoke
• chemical irritants in the workplace
• air pollution.
Other triggers can include cold air, extreme emotional arousal such as anger or fear, and physical exercise. Even certain medications can trigger asthma: aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and beta-blockers (which are used to treat high blood pressure, heart conditions and migraine).
Urbanization has been associated with an increase in asthma. But the exact nature of this relationship is unclear. Medication is not the only way to control asthma. It is also important to avoid asthma triggers - stimuli that irritate and inflame the airways. With medical support, each asthma patient must learn what triggers he or she should avoid. The first successful treatments—bronchodilators to ease airway constriction and corticosteroids to suppress airway inflammation— were developed and remain in use to this day. The simplest form to take Asthma is by Inhalational route which is natural. The stigma regarding use of Inhalers was removed in the programme.
Also present on the occasion were Dr. Ajaypal Singh Sandhu, Dr. Alok Jain, Dr. Vishnu Gupta, Dr. Vinay Singhal, Dr. Vikas Sikri.