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DO you get coughing, wheezing, tight chest and difficulty in breathing, particularly when breathing out? Then you may have Asthma! It has been described by one sufferer as like trying to breath with ‘a sock stuffed down your throat’.

Do you know that asthmatic attacks can be triggered by different air-borne substances such as chemicals, animal fur, moulds and mites in the air, pollens and grasses and by certain foods. that asthma can be life−threatening if not treated? Executives, office and factory workers are exposed to many different chemicals in the workplace and which may precipitate bronchial asthma. Are you aware that air-conditioning may recycle moulds, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, tobacco smoke, perfumes and toiletries around a building and which may affect sensitive asthmatics? Housewives and family members are similarly exposed to chemical fumes that come from furnishings around the home as well as exposure to cleaning substances. Even clothes may have chemical smells that can trigger an asthmatic attack. Asthma can also come from things of animal origin such as hairs of household pets.

Asthma affects over 100 million people worldwide. Anyone can develop asthma though it is more commonly found in children by age 5 and in adults in their 30s. It has also been found that people living in urban communities are more likely to have asthma than people living elsewhere.

In Singapore, one in 5 children (80,000) and one in 10 adults (40,000) suffer from asthma.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease where the airways to the lungs overreact and become temporarily blocked. During an asthma attack, two things happen in the lungs:

1. The muscles around the airways tighten
   
2. At the same time, the lining of the airways become inflammed (swollen) and produces more mucus

Both the above cause the opening in the airways to become smaller, making it hard to breathe air in or out.

It is important to remember that this entire process is completely reversible. The asthma medications you can take during an attack act quickly to relax the muscles, lessen swelling and reduce the mucus buildup. You can then breathe like normal again.

Who Gets Asthma?

Most people know that asthma can ‘run in families’. Medical research has confirmed a hereditary link, especially for asthma triggered by allergies. In fact, there are an increasing number of studies showing asthma as an "allergic disorder".

Statistics

• Asthma is among the top ten killing diseases in Singapore.
• Among 5−24 year olds, the asthma death rate nearly doubled from 1980 to 1993. In 1993, blacks in this age group were 4 to 6 times more likely to die from asthma than whites; and males were 1.5 times at greater risk than females.
• Asthma treatment cost an estimated $6.2 billion in 1990, including direct and indirect expenditures; 43% of that total cost was associated with emergency room use, hospitalization, and death. Loss of school days, alone, caused decreased productivity that cost an estimated $1 billion.
• From 1990 to 1994, the number of people with self-reported asthma in the U.S. increased from 10.4 million to 14.6 million.
• Asthma affected an estimated 4.8 million U.S. children (under age 18) in 1994. Asthmatic youngsters under age 15 underwent 159,000 hospitalizations in 1993, with an average length of stay of 3.4 days.