‘Number of asthma patients increasing in Pakistan’

Lahore

The number of asthma patients is increasing. Delay in treatment and diagnoses leads the patient to death. More than 300 million people are affected by it.

These views were expressed by the speakers at a seminar on “Clean Air, Breath Easy” jointly organised by Pakistan Chest Society Punjab, High Noon Labortreis  and Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Memorial Society (Jang Group of Newspapers).

The speakers were Dr Muhammad Asharf Jamal, head of Pumonology, Alama Iqbal Medical College and Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Dr Kamran, head of Pumonology, Services Institute of Medical Sciences and Services Hospital, Dr Saulat Ullah Khan,  Dr Khalid Waheed, head of Pulmonology, PGMI, Lahore.

Dr Muhammad Asharf Jamal said prevention was better than cure. He said people should avoid allergic things and medicines that caused asthma. He said asthma stopped growth of height of children. The disease should be cured at the initial stage, he added.

Dr Kamran said people did not pay heed to long-term cure. He said asthma could be controlled by long-term cure. Moreover, patients of asthma can live normal life and take part in activities of routine life.

Dr Saulat Ullah Khan said that no one could get rid of the disease on permanent basis without continuous and complete cure. The patients should have contact with doctor. It is not necessary that the children of asthma parents would also suffer from it, he added.

Dr Khalid Waheed said asthma could attack at any age. It should be controlled, otherwise, the patient's veins which inhale oxygen can be swollen, and during coughing, the patient’s voice would sound like whistle. People should not feel shame if they are patients of asthma, he said.

Health, education and current affairs senior editor of daily Jang Wasif Nagi said the ratio of asthma patients had increased because of air pollution. The ratio of patients can increase further in the coming years if air pollution is not controlled, he added.