Mass awareness as well as preventive measures is very vital to cut the existing rate of childhood patients suffering from asthma and death caused by the disease.“Out of 250 deaths, one dies in asthma, which is more prevalent among the children than the adults, in the region monthly,” said Dr Belal Uddin, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Department of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital.He blamed various adverse reasons particularly air pollution,
urbanization and indiscriminate smoking for the prevalence of the disease and the cold weather associated with some other allied factors always trigger the disease.Dr Belal, however, said creation of awareness among the public in general and proper and timely preventive measures could manage the
disease at a greater extent.In this context, he viewed that the asthma is a chronic disease causing considerable deaths of the children and it is common in modern metropolitan cities in comparison with the rural areas.Dr Asgar Hossain, Associate Professor of the same department, said the asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder causing hyper-responsive of airways to certain stimuli resulting in recurrent variable airflow limitation that presents as wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing.He said around 80 percent of the children was infected with the asthma before six years of age. Some certain factors are closely associated with the childhood asthma, which include the parental history of the asthma, maternal smoking – particularly during pregnancy – and other disorders. Prof Asgar, however, said as the asthma is a chronic disease, it should be managed at home, excepting the severe acute one. If home management is done intelligently and skillfully, most asthmatic patients can lead a symptom-free normal life, he added.Proper prevention of allergy (pollen, dust and frugal spores), sports (games and exercises), temperature (cold, wet and windy weather),
heredity, mites and anxiety (stress and worries) can reduce the sufferings caused by the disease, he recommended while talking to BSS here yesterday night. -BSS, Rajshahi
