Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions

The prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Nigeria is high with variabilities across regions and age groups. The number of persons with clinical asthma in Nigeria (approximately 13 million) ranks among the highest in Africa. Asthma is a chronic, non-communicable lifelong disease that affects the lungs. It can cause wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Although asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to manage it to reduce and prevent asthma attacks, also called episodes.

An asthma attack may occur randomly or after exposure to a trigger. Common asthma triggers include: allergies (to house dust mites, animal fur or pollen), smoke, pollution and cold air, exercise, infections, medications – particularly anti-inflammatory painkillers, emotions – including stress or laughter and other varying triggers. Triggers as ‘insignificant’ as eating too much reportedly can cause an asthma attack, therefore identifying and avoiding individual triggers can help keep symptoms under control.

Misconceptions about Asthma

Chronic medical conditions like asthma are often misunderstood. With the abundance of resources available on the internet, it can be difficult to decipher what’s fact from what’s myth. Over the years, there have been common widely held myths and misconceptions concerning asthma that prevent persons with asthma from enjoying optimal benefit from the major advances in the management of this condition. These misconceptions include sayings and beliefs that asthma is a childhood disease; individuals will grow out of it as they age, asthma is infectious, asthma sufferers should not exercise, asthma is only controllable with high dose steroids.

Facts about Asthma

• Asthma can occur at any age (in children, adolescents, adults and elderly).
• Asthma is not infectious.
• In children, asthma is frequently associated with allergy, but asthma which starts in adulthood is less often allergic.
• When asthma is well controlled, asthmatic individuals can exercise and even perform top sport.
• Asthma is most often controllable with low-dose inhaled steroids and short-term medications depending on the severity of the condition.
• There’s little to no evidence that any dietary or herbal supplements have any effect on asthma symptoms.
• Inhalers and orally administered medications for asthma also are not addictive.
• It is always good practice to remain on medications as prescribed even when symptoms aren’t present.

In conclusion, it is advised to visit a physician when experiencing any symptoms for appropriate diagnosis, avoid self-medication, identify and avoid triggers if asthma is diagnosed and importantly let’s all put in the effort to separate the myths from the facts.