Today is World Asthma Day. ‘Never too early, never too late. It's always the right time to address airways disease,’ is this year’s theme. May 1st is celebrated as World Asthma Day to raise the awareness about this chronic respiratory disease, which is majorly prevalent in children these days.

In India, around 2 crore people suffer from asthma. “India has an estimated 1.5-2 crore asthmatics and rough estimates indicate its prevalence between 10% and 15% in 5-11 year old children,” says Dr MK Gupta, senior allergy and asthma specialist at AANCH Hospital. “At present 25% of population suffers from allergy in our country.5% of them are suffering from asthma and even in developed countries like USA there is 10% increase in Asthma patients every year,” he adds.

The World Health Organization says that despite the major advancements in medical science, the exact cause of asthma is yet unknown.

Key facts about asthma

•Asthma is one of the major noncommunicable diseases. It is a chronic disease of the the air passages of the lungs which inflames and narrows them.

•Some 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. It is a common disease among children.

•Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.

•According to the latest WHO estimates, released in December 2016, there were 383 000 deaths due to asthma in 2015.

•The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways.

•Medication can control asthma. Avoiding asthma triggers can also reduce the severity of asthma.

•Appropriate management of asthma can enable people to enjoy a good quality of life.

Reduction in flow of air

In an asthma attack, the lining of the passages swell, causing the airways to narrow, reducing the flow of air in and out of the lungs

Causes of asthma

•indoor allergens (for example, house dust mites in bedding, carpets and stuffed furniture, pollution and pet dander)

•outdoor allergens (such as pollens and moulds)

•tobacco smoke

•chemical irritants in the workplace

•air pollution.