RAJSHAHI: Specialists and medical practitioners at a seminar said mass awareness as well as preventive measures is very vital to cut the existing rate of childhood patients suffering from asthma and death caused by the disease, reports BSS. "Out of 250 deaths, one dies in asthma, which is more prevalent among the children than the adults, in the region monthly," said Paediatrician Dr Laila Shamima Sharmin while presenting her keynote paper in the scientific seminar. She blamed various adverse reasons particularly air pollution, urbanisation and indiscriminate smoking for the prevalence of the disease and the cold weather associated with some other allied factors always trigger the disease.
Dr Sharmin, however, said creation of awareness among the public in general and proper and timely preventive measures could manage the disease at a greater extent. In this context, she viewed that the asthma is a chronic disease causing considerable deaths of the children and it is common in modern metropolitan cities in comparison with the rural areas. Local unit of Bangladesh Private Medical Practitioners Association (BPMPA) organised the seminar at Nanking Darbar Hall in the city Saturday evening. With Dr Abdul Mannan, President of local BPMPA, in the chair, BMA vice-president Dr Sheikh Tabibur Rahman, local unit president Dr Shahidur Rahman Tarafder, General Secretary Dr Khalilur Rahman, vice-principal of Rajshahi Medical College Dr Nawshad Ali, General Secretary of RMC Teachers Association Dr Mahbubur Rahman Khan and local unit of BPMPA general secretary Dr Shamil Uddin Ahmed addressed the opening session.
Dr Laila Sharmin said the asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder causing hyper-responsive of airways to certain stimuli resulting in recurrent variable airflow limitation that presents as wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing. Reduction in risk can be achieved by preventing recurrent exacerbations of asthma and minimising the need for emergency room visits and hospitalisations, and preventing progressive loss of lung function. For children, preventing reduced lung growth and providing optimal pharmacotherapy with minimal or no adverse effects is important. She said around 80 per cent of the children was infected with the asthma before six years of age. Some certain factors are closely associated with the childhood asthma, which include the parental history of the asthma, maternal smoking - particularly during pregnancy - and other disorders.