Take control of your chronic asthma condition during the season: Summer heat – The Peninsula

Take control of your chronic asthma condition during the season: Summer heat – The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: With rising temperatures and higher levels of pollutants and humidity during the summer, , experts are warning chronic asthma patients to take caution to prevent any triggers that could cause respiratory distress (i). Asthma is a lifelong chronic disease that affects the lungs and respiratory system that can lead to breathlessness, chest tightness and cough. The condition has several risk factors and triggers that can affect patients, such as. genetics, tobacco exposure, occupational exposure, air pollution, respiratory infection, and adherence to treatment(ii).

The unprecedented spike in coronavirus pandemic has once again shifted the focus of the whole mankind to health and lifestyle, especially for those who are suffering from various diseases and ailments like asthma.

Although asthma cannot be cured, it is important for people living with it to manage the condition in order to reduce the symptoms and prevent attacks, also called episodes. In the Gulf region, approximately half of people reported living with asthma are not managing their condition adequately(iii).

When it comes to the day-to-day lives of patients, asthma attacks are often cited as a cause for missing work and school, which is why it is crucial that patients take action to help improve their quality of life.