Summer is usually the time to enjoy the outdoors. However, asthmatic people tend to shy away from going out due to the intense heat triggering an asthma attack.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 12% of Philippine population of 90 million have asthma; and according to the Global Asthma Report, approximately 11 million or 1 out 10 Filipinos are suffering from asthma, yet 98 percent of Filipino asthma patients continue to lack proper treatment.

What is asthma? It is recurring inflammatory disorder in the airways of breathing, which undergoes variable expiratory flow and reversible bronchoconstrictions, usually caused by trigger factors, that is different for every patient. In an asthma attack, the lining of the airways swells, and the muscles around the airways tense up. This condition limits the flow of air  through the lungs and leads to abnormal breathing. Asthma is mostly genetic but can be triggered by a lot of factors—genes, stress,  strong emotions, change of temperature, environment, dust, pollen, molds, chemicals in the air or in food, tobacco smoke, exercise, animals and viral infections.  

The most common symptoms of asthma are cough, difficulty of breathing and wheezing. Asthma usually builds up before you actually have an attack. It can range from mild to severe. Unfortunately a lot of patients dismiss their asthma and asthma control, relying only on as needed medications when attacks occur. The goal of asthma treatment has always been to relieve attacks and prevent future exacerbations as well. When asthma is uncontrolled, this leads to more absent days, more ER visits, more hospitalizations, and reduced quality of life.

This is a disease that can be effectively controlled. There should be good partnership between patient and physician. Aside from avoiding trigger factors, having the right medications are important to stop or prevent an attack. Presently, there are a lot of maintenance inhalers available for asthmatic patients. They just have to look for one that suits them best (considering price, convenience of use and lifestyle). Aside from having the correct medication, lifestyle modification is important in the management of asthma.

Sources: World Health Organization, Global Asthma Report, GINA Guidelines 2017