Asthma increasing at a steady rate

Press, 5 April 1988, Page 50

Asthma increasing at a steady rate

Take a deep breath. Without exhaling take another, and another, and, if you can, another.

You should now be feeling very uncomfortable as your lungs start fighting for air, and experiencing a little of the panic an asthma sufferer feels during an attack. Asthma affects 600,000 New Zealanders. For some, asthma means short periods of breathlessness and a couple of puffs on an inhaler. Inconvenient, but not life-threatening. For others it means death. A mortality survey of asthmatics conducted over two years showed that 250 New Zealanders died of asthma in 1985. The death rate of asthmatics aged between five and 35 years is four times higher in New Zealand than in the United Kingdom and about 10 times higher than in North America,''-’ according to statistics. No one knows why, and contrary to popular belief Christchurch was no worse than any other New Zealand city! for asthmatics. ’ ' 44 No single factor triggers an asthma attack, although the chances of an attack could be increased by a change in the weather, respiratory infection, hard exercise, allergies, stress and smoke. One thing, however, is constant — the steady increase of asthmatics year by year. % in 1956, 1963 asthmatics received hospital attention. By 1984 this figure had risen to 11,111. More than half of these were under 14 years of age.

’’he increase has been by about one thousand in each of the last three years. I ! Asthma is a disease; of respiratory system, marked by spasms of the mtscular walls |of the bronchial tubes and swelling of the mucous membrane. this| constricts! the air passages causing shortness of breath and the characteristic "wheez ng” soi|md. 1 The lining of | the airways may become inflamed and secrete excess thick mucus which further restricts the flowhof air. Asthma attacks do not usually last long, but if left untreated may become prolonged and more seyere. || L In acute attacks the struggle for breath may be| critical and hospitalisation required. 1| | (Asthma usually begins in childhood, and the child of an asthmatic parent has about a 60 per cent chance of ! contracting the disease. !; j jSome children | will only eyer have ; one attack,

while even more will outgrow the disease within a few years. Treatment for asthma varies and while there is no cure treatment can prevent and relieve the symptoms. • The aim of any treatment is to keep the lungs functioning as normally as possible. Bronchodilators, which relax the bronchial muscles and keep the airways open, are widely used. In their aerosol form they provide fast relief of muscle spasms during an acute attack. Peak-flow meters, available on prescription from a doctor, are potential life-savers. By blowing into the meter regularly the asthmatic can find out how much breath she or he can rely on. When the meter score is low the asthmatic knows that an attack is imminent and can have the necessary treatment. Although strenuous activity may provoke an asthma attack, exercise is no longer “banned” for asthmatics. This week is Asthma

Awareness Week, a time which | the Asthma Foundation of New Zealand uses to promote awareness of the disease and help others to understand it. ■ i Two days ago many New Zealanders would have seen a film on television on the subject of late-onset asthma, featuring Dr Graham Milne, founder of the Asthma Foundation. The Asthma Foundation’s Christchurch branch will be continuing the education process at 10.30 a.m. tomorrow, in the Shirley Community Centre, (on the corner of Shirley Road and Slater. Street), with a video on childhood asthma. This will be open to anyone interested or affected by asthma. On Thursday, April 7, there will be a display by the Asthma Foundation at Riccarton Mall and the opportunity to test your own lung capacity with a peak-flow meter. This display will be repeated on Friday, i April 8, at Linwood Mall.