Daily Times

LAHORE: The World Asthma Day is celebrated each year on the first Tuesday of May to raise awareness about the disease.

In the past, it was considered as an incurable disease but thanks to medical science now, asthma can be controlled with timely treatment from a qualified doctor.

On the occasion of World Cancer Day, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre held a press briefing on Wednesday. At the occasion, Shaukat Khanum Hospital Pulmonologist Consultant Dr Fahim Mahmood Butt talked about the reasons, symptoms and latest treatment technologies of asthma.

“Asthma is a chronic disease that makes breathing difficult. With asthma, there is inflammation of the air passages that result in a temporary narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen to the lungs. This results in asthma symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, tiredness and difficulty in lactation for kids. In some cases, the asthma patient may have a family history of the disease but in many cases people get it due to different reasons like internal or external allergy, change of weather, pollution, dust, smog and cold breeze. Majorly, there are two ways to deal with asthma; one is medicine treatment and the second is care. Asthma patients need to be very careful in their daily routine. They must avoid environmental pollution, smog and should take precautionary measures in changing weather such as appropriate dressing. Asthma can be controlled with regular treatment, in other case the negligence could lead to patient to irrecoverable lose. Doctors, mostly recommend regular use of inhaler to prevent the disease turning into worse condition,” he said.

Dr Fahim Butt further said, “There are different types of asthma as well that are caused due to allergy. Second type is without allergy, which usually attacks during childhood and lasts for a long time.” He further added, “In treating asthma, two types of medicines are used; a mattered dose inhaler and powder inhaler. Scientists are of the opinion that an inhaler is a more efficient way in the treatment of asthma as it has no side effects.

The medicine given through the inhaler directly affects the infected areas and does not mix in the blood. It also prevents more damage to the airways. There is a misconception about inhalers that they are some sort of addiction. It is totally false as the use of an inhaler is necessary if recommended by the doctor. In severe condition of asthma, patients are nebulised but in some cases, medication fails to bring any positive change to the severity of the disease.”

According to Dr Butt, at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, “There is a well established pulmonary diseases clinic for asthmatics. In this clinic, there are senior consultants and state-of-the-art technology and equipment to correctly diagnose the problem with the best possible treatment.”

Published in Daily Times, May 3^rd 2018.