- Asthma is listed as the most common chronic respiratory disease in the world.
- It is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways accompanied by coughing spells, sticky sputum, and shortness of breath. Also wheezing or noises that the patient hears when exhaling air and chest tightness.
- ISSSTE patients receive care from multidisciplinary groups with specialists in allergology, pulmonology and pulmonary rehabilitation.
The Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (Issste) has a wide range of treatments for patients diagnosed with different types of asthma. In fact, this chronic respiratory disease is the most common in the world. While it is the second cause of hospital consultation in the allergy and clinical immunology services of this organization.
Within the framework of World Asthma Day, which is commemorated on the first Tuesday of May, the allergy specialist at the Regional Hospital “Gral. Ignacio Zaragoza”, María del Refugio Gómez Meza, reported that Worldwide there are approximately 300 million people living with this disease. Regarding Mexico, between seven and eight percent of the population presents some variant of the pathology.
What is asthma?
He explained that asthma is a disease characterized by Chronic inflammation of the airways accompanied by coughing fits, sticky sputum and shortness of breath. Also wheezing or noises that the patient hears when exhaling air and chest tightness.
The symptoms of #Asthma They are intermittent and are usually aggravated at night or during exercise.#HealthForAll pic.twitter.com/RoqqoUprtT
— ISSSTE (@ISSSTE_mx) May 2, 2023
In the recurring presence of these suspicious signs, the highest recommendation is to go to the nearest medical unit. The main objective is to confirm or rule out the diagnosis because asthma can occur at any age and does not distinguish race or sex.
“At ISSSTE we have access to a wide variety of treatments, depending on the type and degree of asthma. Among them are biological therapy drugs, which consist of so-called monoclonal antibodies, specifically directed at severe asthmatic patients, in whom we can change their expectation and quality of life”.
He pointed out that currently all cases of asthma —from mild to severe— can be well controlled. ISSSTE has a multidisciplinary comprehensive care strategy in regional hospitals such as the “Gral. Ignacio Zaragoza. It is the most important in the eastern part of Mexico City and specialists in allergology, pulmonology and pulmonary rehabilitation participate.
Asthma is highly disabling
He recalled that this condition is highly disabling when it is not properly cared for and patients are out of control. According to the patients themselves, in acute phases their mobility is reduced to one room in their house.
Asthma is associated with various causes and is mainly divided into allergic and non-allergic. The first, for example, occurs when the patient reacts significantly to environmental allergens, such as pollens, animal dander such as cats or dogs, dust mites, or some pollutants. Once the allergen is identified, specific treatments are developed and prescribed.
There are also other variants of this pathology, such as that related to obesity or elevated eosinophils (immune system cells that help defend against parasites and participate in allergic processes), among others.
“In people who have external triggers for asthma, it is crucial that they identify them so that they are not routinely exposed to them: that they avoid tobacco smoke, inhalation of pollutants such as wood smoke or solvents, and promote the use of protective masks of industrial type in risky work activities. All this, in order not to present an exacerbation of the clinical picture, maintain good control of the disease and have an impact on the quality of life of those who live with this condition”.
The ISSSTE allergist highlighted that a fundamental element in the treatment of asthma is the education of patients so that they know the nature of this chronic respiratory disease, behavior and symptoms. The objective is to identify it early, in addition to agreeing with the doctor or treating doctor what to do in the event of a crisis.
From the preventive point of view, it is necessary to raise awareness about the control of their environment and adherence to treatment.
Also read:
8 out of 10 cases of asthma in Mexico are caused by allergies: ISSSTE
ISSSTE, at the forefront of biotechnological treatments to treat severe allergies
New medical guide to asthma care empowers the doctor