Raipur, Apr 27: It took 6 decades to change the perception towards asthma and inhalation therapy. Impact of asthma on quality of life is far greater than as perceived by the patients and the perception of the disease management is far more controlled in the minds of patients. Increased awareness about inhalation treatment (including non-sufferers) to overcome social stigma; the assurance that inhalation is safe and reliable and to know that asthma can be controlled and thus is not a hindrance in living a full life were the major concern areas. The therapeutic revolution not just brought the change in solution with new technology but the change in patients (asthmatic) outcome. Modern devices has made it easy for patients to lead a Normal-Active life and the fear of stigma has been taken over by the health habits’ of Asthma management, said Dr Ravindra Panda, TB &, Chest Department, Head, Mekahara Hospital, Raipur while speaking to the scribes here prior to World Asthma Day on May 1. He said that today inhalation therapy is the mainstay of treatment for asthma. Inhaled medicines are integral to the management of respiratory diseases like asthma. They deliver drugs directly to the lungs and hence act faster and at a lower dose, thereby reducing the risk of side effects. Inhaled medications have been shown to improve disease status, control symptoms, reduce the number and severity of exacerbations and improve quality of life, he added
The devices used to deliver medicines to the lungs are as important as the medicines themselves. The various inhaler devices available include the pressurized metered-dose inhalers (MDIs), dry powder inhalers (DPIs) and nebulisers. Approximately 90% of physicians in India reported prescribing inhaler devices to at least 40% of their asthma patients in the first clinic visit, said Dr Panda.
Although contemporary inhaled therapy for asthma has the potential to control disease, as control is often not achieved in real-life practice in most patients. As per the Asia-Pacific Asthma Insights Management (AP-AIM) Survey, all asthma patients in India are either uncontrolled or party controlled. Poor inhaler technique is a key reason for this poor control.
Speaking on the disease management challenges, Dr. Ravindra Panda said that the key challenges in the management of asthma include improving compliance and developing effective and easy-to-use inhalers. Many patients frequently underutilise their medications or use their inhalers incorrectly, which can be detrimental to maintaining disease control. This can cause them to switch to oral therapy, which can be disastrous. he added.
