Asthma is a disease that makes it difficult for your lungs to get air.
Shortness of breath, cough and wheezing are all symptoms of asthma. Your chest feels tight and your throat goes dry, you gasp for breath and are unable to get enough air to the lungs.
Why is asthma worst in cities?
The urban air pollution as well as certain chemicals released in the environment make the residents of bigger cities more prone to asthma. Here are a few urban factors that cause asthma:
- Automobile exhaust.
- Tobacco smoke.
- Restaurant food odours.
- Cockroaches and rats.
Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, sulphur, and hydrocarbons all contribute to inner-city pollution and make asthma harder to manage for kids and adults.
Asthma and urban cities:
Here are some tips from the experts on better living with asthma in the city:
- If you have allergies to cockroaches or rodents, get pest control done in your house.
- If you have allergies to dust mites, make sure to have protective covers on all mattresses, box springs, and pillows. Removing carpets from bedrooms also makes a big difference,.
- Use HEPA filters on all your vents and vacuum cleaners, and run a HEPA-filtered air purifier in the bedroom.
- Protect the air inside your home. Don’t allow anyone to smoke, control humidity with a dehumidifier, and use your air conditioning as much as possible.
- Make sure your home is clean and clutter free, keep food and garbage in tightly sealed bags and containers.
- Follow your doctor’s advice completely for asthma. It will include information about your medicine, advice for avoiding asthma triggers, and what to do if you have an asthma attack.
Know more about Asthma
Here is how you can live healthy even with Asthma:
- Know your triggers and avoid them. Triggers like allergens and irritants can make your asthma symptoms worse by irritating your airways. The best way to control your asthma is to know what your asthma triggers are and how to avoid them.
- Take your asthma medication as prescribed by your doctor
Many people think they can skip their asthma preventer (controller) medications when they don’t feel any symptoms – that’s not true. Asthma is a chronic (long-term) disease. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, even when you don’t feel symptoms. You have to manage your asthma every day, not just on days when you feel symptoms. - Your health-care provider can show you how to use your inhaler properly so that your medicine reaches the airways.
- If you smoke and have asthma, you should quit smoking. this can significantly reduce the severity and frequency of your symptoms. Smoking can also reduce the effectiveness of asthma medication.
- Keep fit by exercising. Exercise helps by strengthening your breathing muscles, boosting your immune system and helping to keep a healthy body weight. The key to exercising safely is to make sure your asthma is under control before you start.
Asthma and India:
One in every 10 asthma patients in the world is in India. 90 per cent of childhood asthma and 50 per cent of adult asthma is caused due to environmental allergens. Considered the most common chronic disease among children, Asthma is prevalent in all countries, whether they are developed or underdeveloped. Dust, cockroaches and pollens are the biggest causes of allergic asthma, according to analysis of reports of five years, collected by a diagnostic centre in India.
Sadly, India is choking with asthma. The sales of anti-asthma medicines in India has gone up by 43% over the past four years. It is time that people start taking conscious actions to breathe healthy. People affected by air pollution must wear an N95 mask. We must also encourage the use of car pool and public transport to reduce traffic and thus reduce air pollution.
Consult our Pulmonary Department for details on Asthma. Please find below link:
https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/pulmonarymedicine/asthma.html