KARACHI, May 2: The incidence of asthma is equally increasing in both the developed and developing countries including Pakistan while the disease’s seriousness, both in terms of cost and declining life quality, has emerged as a major challenge for local physicians.

This was observed by experts speaking at a seminar organized by the Pakistan Chest Society and the Chest Medicine Department of the Sindh Government Hospital - Korangi on Tuesday to commemorate the World Asthma Day.

Prof Nadeem Rizvi, Senior Chest Physician and head of the Chest Medicine Department, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, in his presentation said the patient’s awareness of the disease coupled with adequate capacities of physicians to treat it besides their updated knowledge about progress made in the field of research could help contain incidence of the ailment.

He mentioned that asthma was a disease that mostly affected the young and the elderly, adding that efforts were being made to determine whether early intervention could stop the progression of the disease later in life.

Asthma is a significant health problem for children too, he said, adding that poor management coupled with inadequate diagnosis, under-treatment and poor compliance aggravated the disease among children.

“Children with asthma must be treated as soon as possible with inhalers,” he said.

Other speakers including Dr Shakil Siddiqui, Dr Shaheena Qayyum and Dr Mohammad Hussain said that despite the fact that asthma was a largely under-diagnosed health condition in the third world countries as Pakistan, yet around 200 million people were reported with the disease across the globe.

Dr Shakil Siddiqui, Clinical Secretary of the Pakistan Chest Society – Sindh, said all asthmatics must be conscious of allergens responsible for triggering asthma in them and take due care to avoid these.

“In Karachi, we have more irritants than allergens in air,” he said, mentioning that irritants and viral infections were important factors for asthma attacks.

Dr Siddiqui said vaccination was ineffective against irritants, however, proper use of inhalers could help avoid recurrence of asthma attacks.—APP