Asthma can be controlled with medication, says HMC doctor

Asthma affects around about 20% of school-aged children in Qatar, according to an expert from Hamad medical Corporation (HMC).“Thechronic respiratory illness cannot be cured but can be controlled andcontinuous medical care is an important part of the equation,” Dr MehdiAdeli, senior consultant in Allergy and Immunology, said.Incorrectuse of medications is a leading cause of unnecessary asthma attacks,emergency department visits and hospital admissions. “Asthma ismanaged by controlling inflammation with medication, good medical care,monitoring, and avoiding triggers, when possible,” said Dr Adeli, whoalso leads HMC’s Allergy and Immunology Awareness Programme.Triggersare factors that irritate the airways and cause asthma symptoms. Thereare multiple triggers of asthma, with allergens and irritants being themost common. Triggers can change from season to season and as a childgrows older, but common triggers include dust mites, pet dander, viralinfections, and cigarette smoke. The change in weather can also be atrigger, with Qatar’s summer months often bringing dust and humidity. “Identifyingtriggers, allergens and irritants can take time but once patterns arediscovered some triggers can be avoided and steps can be taken to reduceexposure to others. It is important for parents to know that allergiesdevelop over time with continued exposure to allergens, so a child’sasthma may change over time. It is also important for parents to knowthat while allergies can make asthma worse, not all children with asthmahave allergies,” said Dr Adeli.According to Dr Adeli, thetransition from winter to summer can be challenging for patients withasthma, both children and adults, because it is the time of year whensome stop taking their medication.Dr Adeli said it is important forpatients, and parents in the case of child patients, to ensure allmedications are taken as prescribed, even if there are no symptoms. Hesaid many patients are lulled into a false sense of security if they gofor a long period without an attack, but that stopping prescribedmedications can result in compromised lung function.“Once apatient’s asthma is well controlled on medication, he or she may feellike they’ve been cured. It’s important to continue to useanti-inflammatory maintenance medications. The steroids in thesemedications help prevent inflammation in the airways and prevent asthmasymptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath and canhelp make an individual less likely to react to asthma triggers, such aspollen or dust,” said Dr Adeli.Developing an effective medicationplan to control asthma can take time. Different medications work more orless effectively for different kinds of asthma, and some combinationswork well for some patients but not for others. According to Dr Adeli,most children with asthma benefit from preventive treatment because itdecreases inflammation in the airways. He said for most patients acombination of medicine is prescribed covering both quick-reliefmedications and long-term preventive medications.HMC’s Allergy andImmunology Awareness Programme is focused on educating the public aboutallergies and immunology and empowering patients and their families toincrease patient satisfaction and confidence and reduce emergency roomvisits for allergy-related illnesses.