- It is estimated that only 5 out of 10 people diagnosed with asthma have control of their disease.
- In the world, 25% of people with asthma do not adhere to their treatment.
- It is estimated that up to half of those who suffer from asthma do not know they have it due to lack of regular medical check-ups.
The main drawback with any disease is its normalization. When that happens, attention is deprived and sometimes patients are abandoned. The best example is asthma that already represents a public health problem in Mexico. But although it is quite common, there are people who see it as a lesser evil that should not be treated.
Global impact
Just to keep in mind, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that in 2019 it affected 262 million people and caused 461 thousand deaths. With this it is clear that it can be fatal if adequate treatment is not offered to patients.
Therefore, the first Tuesday in May commemorates the World Asthma Day. The theme of the global initiative is “Closing gaps in asthma care” and the objective of raising awareness among the population. It also seeks to break with the existing prejudices that today hinder the correct care and control of the disease.
In this World Asthma Day, it is important to recognize the challenges faced by people living with the disease. It is also urgent to raise awareness and raise awareness because there is still much work to be done to create the ideal conditions for those living with asthma. Among the main challenges are achieving:
- An early and accurate diagnosis of your respiratory condition.
- Access to information, resources and adequate treatments that allow them to have a correct management of their disease.
- Raise awareness of the importance of correctly stratifying and treating a person with severe asthma.
What happens in Mexico?
Now is the time to learn about the current panorama of asthma in Mexico. In 2021 alone, the national incidence rate indicated more than 40,000 new cases. Therefore, it is one of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) with the highest incidence in the country. In addition, it is estimated that only five out of 10 people diagnosed have control of their disease.
“We know that asthma is a disease that has no cure, however, it is possible to control it and that people who live with the condition have a better quality of life. The work belongs to everyone, recently the World Health Organization (WHO) committed to improve the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of asthma, in order to reduce the global burden of NCDs and move towards universal health coverage”, indicated Dr. Carlos García Bolaños, specialist in pediatric pulmonology.
Uncontrolled asthma can refer to poor management of the main discomforts or signs experienced by a patient, as well as areas of opportunity associated with following the treatment indicated by the treating physician, limited physical activity and night discomfort.
It can also include frequent crises that require medication or some serious ones that may require hospitalization. It is estimated that 25% of people with asthma do not adhere to their treatment. In addition to the fact that at least one in 10 people has not undergone a review of the disease in the last two years.
In addition, due to the lack of diagnosis, an anomaly has been observed in the incidence of those who suffer from asthma. In such a way that up to 50% of people with the disease do not know they have it, which represents a public health problem in many countries.
“The role that we have as specialists in the treatment of the disease begins with an opportune diagnosis and later a correct management of the condition to keep it under control, health education in asthma plays a fundamental role for self-care, since it favors a better management of asthma. disease, reducing crises, emergency medical visits and hospitalizations, minimizing the impact on the quality of life of people who suffer from it”, said Elsy Navarrete, specialist in allergology, Physician Attached to the Allergy and Immunology Service of the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gomez.
For all of the above, more attention should be given to asthma in Mexico. It is not only about people who have already been diagnosed, but also about those who have this disease and do not know it due to the lack of regular medical check-ups.