This year the Asthma Forum was held under the title: “Asthma, visibility and commitments” and it was pointed out, among other actions, the need to publicize and agree on a greater number of commitments regarding the timely diagnosis and treatment of quality of those living with asthma. This is because it is a public health problem and it must be attended to in time to avoid complications, deaths and poor quality of life.
In said forum, Dr. Virginia Molina, consultant in chronic diseases of PAHO/WHO in Mexico, has pointed out that “asthma is, within the non-communicable diseases, the one that constitutes the main causes of morbidity, mortality, disability and premature death around the world. Asthma is included in the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs and in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. WHO is committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of asthma in order to reduce the global burden of this disease.
A combination of therapeutic resources is essential to manage the patient with asthma
For her part, Dr. Désirée Larenas Linnemann, an expert in lung health at Hospital Médica Sur, highlighted that “management of severely ill patients due to asthma must be achieved through a combination of therapeutic resources, since many of them die from excessive use of salbutamol and few anti-inflammatories. In addition, she pointed to the fact that 25% of the deceased were diagnosed with asthma in its mild form.
Therefore, the implementation of public policies to care for this condition is noteworthy. Regarding this, the director of Salud Justa MX, Erick Antonio Ochoa, stated that “in 2020, 127,158 cases were reported in Mexico; Of these, 54% occurred in the first quarter and 25.4% occurred in children under 10 years of age. The most relevant institutions for disease care are the IMSS (41,278), the Ministry of Health (36,158) and the ISSSTE (16,719).
This is a costly disease for patients and the health system
In addition, he stated that “asthma control requires strengthening the community of patients and their caregivers, specialists, civil organizations and public decision makers (legislators and sector officials). In the same way, infrastructure and access to medicines must be strengthened, in addition to preventing risk factors: smoking, poor air quality and exposure to wood smoke”.
At the close of the forum, Senator Lilia Margarita Valdez Martínez, president of the Health Commission, emphasized that “asthma is an expensive disease for those who suffer from it and for the health system, which is why it is important to pay special attention to this condition. . I am very pleased to endorse the alliance and the commitment with civil society, we have pushed initiatives and proposals to face different public health problems, for which I promise to continue working hand in hand with organized civil society to address these health problems that affect Mexico so much”.