On May 7, the World Asthma Dayconsidered a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract characterized by coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing in the chest on some occasions.
According to the Comprehensive Asthma Care Guide, prepared by the Colombian Association of Pediatric Pneumologythe Ministry of Social Protection and Colciencias, in Colombia 10.4% of the population suffers from asthma; where 23.4% correspond to children under 4 years of age; 12.4% in children from 5 to 11 years of age; and 11.5% in young people between 12 and 18 years of age.
The diagnosis for this disease is made through a complete clinical evaluation by a specialist in pneumology, when presenting any of the symptoms described above; Your doctor may perform a test called spirometry, which tests the ability to carry air within your lungs.
Origin of the disease
Since its origin is multifactorial, hereditary is the least frequent, it can also be environmental, genetic, or occupational. What must be kept in mind is that there is no way to prevent the disease, affirms the Dr. Isabel Palacios, pulmonologist at the Medical Center. Therefore, the patient with a known diagnosis of asthma has the possibility of avoiding the crises of the disease through appropriate medical control.
The Dr. Palacios ensures that contrary to what was known in the past, not all asthmatics are allergic, so the new era in medicine tends to personalize it to achieve the best treatment for each patient, taking into account that all cases are different.
Most patients achieve symptom control with inhaled steroid therapy as controller medication; safe method for administration and with minimal adverse events compared to oral therapy. In turn, there is a wide variety of forms of presentation of inhaled medications for asthma. The key to asthma control is adherence to inhaled therapy, which, depending on the frequency of attacks, patients will require daily use, says the pulmonologist of Medical Center.
Myths and realities.
Over time, countless beliefs have been created around inhaled therapy; the most popular is that they generate addiction, a premise denied by the specialist, also stating that these procedures are safe for the heart and its cardiac system.
Only 5% of patients with asthma are classified as having severe asthma, for these cases it is necessary to manage an expert team in this typology and who offer available therapies for their treatment, among them are medicines known by specialists as biologics, which allow controlling inflammation at a systemic level. Likewise, there is bronchial thermoplasty, a method performed by bronchoscopy (respiratory endoscopy) to reduce the smooth muscle of the bronchi and thus reduce crises, ensures the Dr. Isabel Palaciospulmonologist expert in the management of respiratory infections of the Medical Center.