Over 500 cases reported at PIMS in two weeks

Islamabad

After the onset of spring, both the private and public sector healthcare facilities in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have started receiving significant number of patients with allergic asthma and status asthmaticus, a severe asthma attack that does not respond to usual bronchodilators taken by inhalation.

Like every year, the onset of spring is heralded by a large number of patients in twin cities reaching in emergency and outpatient departments of the hospitals. Well over 500 cases of allergic asthma have already been managed at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad in last two weeks of which 28 patients required intensive care and five patients needed ventilator though all recovered well.

ICU Medical Specialist at PIMS Dr. Muhammad Haroon expressed this while talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday on rising number of patients being reported at the healthcare facilities with severe difficulty in breathing due to asthma attacks.

He said the outpatient record of public and private sector hospitals show that majority of patients coming with respiratory problems are diagnosed with allergic asthma. The record of OPDs shows male to female ratio of 1:4 that means 75 per cent of patients with asthmatic complications are females and 25 per cent males.

Studies reveal that allergic or Atopic Asthma is a disease of hypersensitivity or hyper responsiveness of upper airways and lungs that occurs due to airways narrowing. Patient has shortness of breath, air hunger, difficult breathing and fever. The characteristic whistling sound that is produced when air passes through narrow airways is called as wheeze and is present in almost all asthmatics.

Allergens are chemical substances that trigger acute attack and avoidance of allergens may completely cure allergic asthma, said Dr. Haroon.

He added that asthma attack sometimes rapidly deteriorates the respiratory function due to severe spasm or exhaustion and patient may have diffuse wheezing all over chest and develop bluish discoloration of hands, feet, oral cavity and lips. In some cases, patients may not be able to speak complete sentences. Patients with such symptoms should be taken to the nearest hospital for management, said Dr. Haroon.

Talking of other symptoms, he said a patient with asthma attack may feel agitation, restlessness and a feeling of impending doom. Although majority of patients with severe asthma attack formerly known as status asthmatics respond well to emergency treatment. However, about eight per cent of patients with acute severe asthma deteriorate to life-threatening asthma attack and need ventilator support in intensive care unit. The outcome, however, is good in experienced hands, said Dr. Haroon.