World Asthma Day: In Argentina, only 3 out of 10 patients follow treatment

Asthma is a chronic and frequent disease characterized by inflammation of the airways. Those who live with it have an impact on their quality of life, both in terms of their educational and professional capacity and their leisure time.

The first World Day of Asthma It was held in more than 35 countries in 1998 at the first global meeting on asthma held in Barcelona, ​​Spain. From there, the first Tuesday of May marks the date organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve the awareness and treatment of the disease in the world.

Asthma is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world and about 10% of the world's population suffers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 235 million people worldwide suffer from the disease and it is estimated that about 6% of the population lives with the disease.

"The key is in symptom control and in the regular visit to the specialist," said Ana Putruele, head of the hospital's pneumology division of clinics.

According to the specialist, "animal allergy, air pollution in large cities, excessive use of perfumes, consumption of anti-inflammatory, menstrual cycle in the woman and stress are some of the variables that can trigger the disease. "And he remarked," When the patient is not treated, his or her daily routine becomes more and more complicated, Although it is not possible to talk about healing in asthma, it is important to say that with the appropriate treatments, the disease is controlled and the quality of life of the patient is comparable to that of any other."

"Asthma causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness as well as a feeling of anxiety," said the president. of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Association of Argentina (AAeIC), Gabriel Gattolin, adding that "the patients have a predisposition to overreact to different allergens from inhalation in the system. which causes bronchial inflammation manifesting itself by the symptoms mentioned. "

The lack of control of the disease means that the patient is limited in his activities and risks an asthma attack: episodes of shortness of breath that can lead to an emergency visit or even an internment.

Andrés Bertorello is the president of the Argentine Association of Respiratory Medicine (AAMR) and notes that in Argentina "many patients are undiagnosed (under-diagnosed) and therefore do not have access to a The respiratory tract can help diagnose asthma in a simple way and evaluate the most appropriate treatment for each patient, as well as the actions needed to prevent an asthma attack. "

"Once treatment begins, patients experience an improvement in their symptoms and usually decrease the adherence of the indicated treatment," Bertorello badured, who stressed that "lack of adherence to treatment responds to a combination of factorsSome are specific to the patient, his environment, prejudices about inhaled drugs or even for economic reasons.

In Argentina, asthma causes more than 400 deaths a year and more than 15,000 hospitalizations a year and "most of them are preventable events," said pulmonologist Luis Nannini, of the US. Eva Perón Hospital of Granadero Baigorria.

Lack of control of the disease causes the bronchi to remain inflamed and the patient may develop a seizure that leads to respiratory failure. In Argentina, the prevalence of asthma is increasing and experts point out that the contamination, the lifestyle and the environment in which we live are among the main culprits..

Outdoor living, exercise, living in an environment free of smoke and dust help to improve the perspective of the disease and thus allow the patient to lead a normal life.

From 2008 to today, the motto of the world day is "you can control your asthma" (You can control your asthma) and aims to encourage patients to actively participate in the control of their disease.

This year, GINA has also used the word STOP with its international symbol to indicate that you must stop asthma and be composed of acronyms from a series of terms that give you the keys to know how you can stop or control the disease.