Asthma UK is urging people with asthma to take extra care in the New Year as cold spells set in. Even though the incidence of asthma in south Asians is lower than in the white population, people from south Asian communities are three times more likely to have an emergency hospital admission due to asthma symptoms.
Asthma is a common long term condition with some symptoms including, coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. With these symptoms getting worse, the patient could experience an asthma attack. Asthma is caused because the tubes leading to the lungs called the bronchi become inflamed and are more sensitive than in individuals without asthma. If something irritates these small tubes it causes your airways to become narrow and the muscles to tighten, as well as increased production of sticky mucus. All of these things can make it very difficult to breathe and is crucial the patients’ inhaler is nearby. The medicine in the inhaler will reverse the effects of whatever triggered the attack. Some common triggers include, house dust mites, animal fur, pollen, cigarette smoke, exercise and viral infections.
Asthma can become very serious if not treated promptly when needed; killing four people a day in the UK. The time of year is especially challenging for asthma sufferers with 90% of patients reporting that colds and flu’s trigger symptoms and 75% say they are affected by the cold air.
Asthma UK is giving out the following advice to help keep safe in the New Year, they advise people to:
• Keep taking your regular medicines as prescribed by your doctor
• Take some puffs of your inhaler before heading outside into the cold air
• Keep your inhaler with you at all times
• Keep warm covering your chest, nose and mouth maybe with a scarf
• Take extra care when exercising in cold weather
