KARACHI, March 29: More than 10 per cent of the country’s population is suffering from asthma, which is on the rise because of high level of pollution.

This was stated by Dr Javed A. Khan, consultant chest physician, Aga Khan University Hospital, at an informative seminar arranged for asthma patients and their families at the university on Friday.

He said modern lifestyle, atmospheric pollution, smoking, increased use of carpets and upholstered furniture, keeping pets indoor and decreased consumption of fruits and vegetables were major causes for the rise of asthma cases.

Dr Naheed Nabi of the Department of Family Medicine spoke about some misconceptions associated with asthma and its treatment. She said contrary to common belief, inhalers were the safest way to deliver asthma medications to the lungs, and were much effective than tablets or syrups. She said inhalers were not habit-forming.

An asthma nurse at AKUH, Farhana Abbas, said breast-feeding in the first six months of an infant’s life was important to protect the child from future asthma attacks. She stressed that children should be protected from smoking.

Dr Javed Iqbal said only 10 per cent of asthma patients in Pakistan were using inhalers according to recommended methods.