NAGPUR: Children are generally more prone to falling ill. No wonder that when children are seen coughing, even recurrent bouts of cough, parents and even doctors think it is not alarming. Many times, however, these illnesses may be signs of asthma.
Concerned by the increasing number of children affected by this allergic disorder, paediatricians have decided to spread awareness among parents and teachers about the disease. Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) has made an action plan to spreading the word about prevention, diagnosis and management of the disease to mark ‘Asthma Awareness Month’.
“Increasing urbanization and migration has caused a considerable rise in lung diseases, especially bronchial asthma. Unlike in adults, repeated episodes of cough, breathlessness and missing school as a result of it do not directly point to the presence of asthma. The different manifestation of the disease in different individuals makes it difficult to diagnose the disease,” said Dr Kuldeep Sukhdeve, vice-president of city chapter of IAP. Being undiagnosed, most of these children have a poor quality of life, not having the right attention span in school and getting easily tired by physical tasks, he said.
“Every second or third child suffers from a mild form of the disease known as mild intermittent asthma, unknown to themselves as well as people around them. The first sign of the disease can be recurrent cough. For those with more prominent problems, the disorder could lead to poor scholastic as well as physical performance, as they get tired very fast,” said Dr Jayant Upadhyay, president of the city branch of IAP. If these children are diagnosed correctly and treatment starts accordingly, they could contribute better towards their schools, families and the society at large, he said.
These days it is possible to manage asthma and its symptoms without interfering with the normal life of the children, informed paediatrician Dr Rajkumar Kiratkar, secretary of IAP, Nagpur. “The most important part of the management, though, still remains identifying and avoiding the triggers that bring about the allergy in an individual. One thing that parents and caregivers need to keep in mind is that even the slightest of symptoms should never be ignored and a doctor’s help should be taken as soon as possible,” he said.
It is only in the Indian subcontinent that people ask for oral medication for asthma, most countries have long switched over to inhalers, said doctors. “These inhalers affect the lung directly rather than going through the whole body. This reduces the time taken for the drug to act, as well as the number of hospital visits, while increasing its efficacy,” informed Dr Anil Raut.
Dr Yashwant Patil insisted that if the parents and doctors are able to diagnose the disease early, its management will be much cheaper, simpler and better.
Article source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Early-asthma-diagnosis-helps-manage-disease-Doctors/articleshow/13367310.cms
