A health study: the prevalence of asthma among

Saudi students exceeds the global rate

A health study: the prevalence of asthma among Saudi students exceeds the global rate

A recent study conducted on Saudi school children showed that the prevalence of asthma varies from one region to another due to different weather factors, as the proportion increases in very cold cities and dry areas such as Taif, which recorded the highest rate by 23 percent, while this percentage decreases in Coastal humid cities such as Dammam and Jeddah registered 4 percent, which is in contrast to the global rate, which ranges between 5 and 10 percent.

Dr. Khaled Obaid Bawaked, a family medicine consultant at King Abdulaziz Hospital and Oncology Center in Jeddah, says that asthma is chronic inflammation in the membranes lining the airways in the lungs, which causes an increase in their sensitivity to any irritant (such as dust, smoking, and others) and leads to constriction and narrowness of these people, and reservation Large amounts of air in the chest. But this narrowing can widen when appropriate treatment is used.

Causes of asthma

Regarding the causes of the disease, Bawaked asserts that there is a difference between the causative and the irritant of the disease, the first is that which leads to the occurrence of asthma in a healthy person, while the irritants of the disease are substances that lead to the occurrence of an asthma attack in the person who has asthma already, and there are some theories that attribute the causes of the emergence of the disease to genetic factors. And he indicated that asthma affects all ages (children, adults, the elderly), and it spreads more in childhood, followed by adults at the beginning of the third decade of life, and the disease usually subsides in children as they approach puberty, but there is no specific rule that explains A child who will get better than a child who remains the same.

The Saudi specialist stated that the most important phenomenon in asthma is that it is a fluctuating disease from time to time. The patient may sleep in an excellent condition and wake up with all the symptoms or vice versa. Therefore, the pattern of recurring cases varies from one patient to another according to the frequency of attacks, and it can be divided into three patterns as follows: The first: seizures that sometimes come for short periods (hours, or days).

The second type: It is more severe and comes for longer periods (days or weeks).

The third type: It is the most severe and the seizures are continuous.

Dr. Bawaked listed many misconceptions, such as: Believing that it is a mental illness.

Belief that nebulizers lead to addiction. The syrups or pills used in the treatment are better than the sprays.

Fear of using corticosteroids in the treatment of some cases of asthma, and it is true that using cortisone in the appropriate form recommended by a physician specializing in asthma has a very effective effect in treatment.

He pointed out that the appearance of symptoms varies according to the age of the patient

Children: Coughing frequently, especially at night and for long periods, prevails as a major symptom in children, which leads to a wrong diagnosis and giving the child other treatments such as antibiotics and others. Adults: Symptoms appear in adults mostly in the form of wheezing or tightness in the chest, so the diagnosis of the disease is usually easy and straightforward.

Elderly: Breathlessness overcomes the elderly more than other symptoms, and because there are many other diseases that may appear in the same form as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, so diagnosing the disease is difficult in the elderly and children, and easy in adults.

And the family medicine consultant indicated that in many cases, the medical history may be sufficient to reach a diagnosis, due to the clarity of symptoms such as frequent coughing, wheezing (wheezing) in the chest and stammering with the presence of an irritating factor for asthma, but sometimes the pathological history is not clear, such as the appearance of the disease with unclear symptoms. Such as frequent coughing only, and the irritating factor may not be clear, and then we need some tests such as: Measuring the maximum blowing capacity. Pulmonary function testing. chest x-ray Skin prick test.

Medications

Dr. Bawaked talked about the medicines used in treatment, which are divided into two main sections:

Bronchodilators, which relax the muscles surrounding the airways, expand the airways, blocking the secretion of chemicals (such as histamine). Therefore, it is often used when necessary and needed, and it works immediately after use, and therefore it is taken when symptoms appear, such as coughing, stammering, chest tightness, or wheezing.

Preventive medicines (protective) for the return of seizures, which work by reducing chronic inflammation in the wall of the air passages, and some of them need several weeks to take effect, and therefore they must be continued on a regular basis several times a day for long periods according to the instructions of the attending physician, regardless of the presence of symptoms or not, so that these medicines can Reducing inflammation in the airways. The common mistake of many patients is that they stop this drug when the symptoms disappear and do not continue using it while the chronic infections mentioned are still present and the ability to return seizures is also present, and therefore when they are exposed to any irritant, the seizures return as they were.

Cortisone: There is a fear of using cortisone, and the fact of the matter is that if it is used according to the instructions of the specialist, it has very wonderful results in treating the disease, and if the patient takes it in an unwanted way, it may lead to problems and side effects, so the patient must take the adequate dose for a specific period. As directed by the attending physician.

Cortisone pills are taken to treat severe cases and under direct medical supervision for a period of 3 to 7 days only in the morning after breakfast on a stomach full of food, and this is called the rescue dose. Usually, the side effects of cortisone pills do not start unless the medication period exceeds 3 weeks or more, or the daily dose exceeds 45-60 mg.

The nebulizers used in treatment, nebulizers are the best treatment for asthma, and therefore they are better than syrups, pills and needles for several considerations, because they go directly to the place of the disease (lung) and therefore their effect is direct and fast, and the dose of the nebulizer is low and therefore very rarely cause side effects. These include pressurized nebulizers, effective inhalation nebulizers, and dry powder nebulizers.

The stages of treatment can be divided into six steps: reassuring the patient, identifying expectations, fears, and information about the disease, educating the disease, avoiding irritants that trigger an asthma attack, dividing the disease according to its severity, choosing the appropriate treatment, setting a treatment plan, and then regular follow-up.