Do not leave your asthma medication at home. People with asthma can experience serious complications of COVID-19. Use an asthma inhaler every day as prescribedPadang (ANTARA) - Lung specialist at the Semen Padang Hospital, Dr Masrul Basyar, Sp.P (K) FISR, reminded asthma sufferers to manage stress, particularly during a pandemic, to lower the risk of the disease.
"Stress can inhibit the immune system, and people with asthma can experience stress in the midst of this pandemic. If anxiety increases, it can lead to asthma attacks or worsen the condition," Basyar cautioned here on Wednesday.
The lung specialist advised stress management to asthma sufferers and to watch out for trigger factors to help them better manage and avoid asthma attacks.
"Do not leave your asthma medication at home. People with asthma can experience serious complications of COVID-19. Use an asthma inhaler every day as prescribed," he stated.
Basyar expounded that asthma is a respiratory ailment affecting the airways and leading to breathing difficulties among sufferers. This condition can trigger inflammation of the airways, thereby causing their temporary narrowing and resulting in oxygen entry into the lungs being disrupted.
Airway constriction can cause general asthma symptoms, such as shortness of breath, coughing, and chest tightness. In severe conditions, asthma can interfere with activities and be causal to speaking difficulties in the sufferer.
"This disease can also limit a person's ability to exercise and move actively. Uncontrolled asthma can lead a patient to the emergency room several times and lead to hospitalization," he cautioned.
For a diagnosis of asthma, the doctor will conduct a series of examinations, starting from interviewing the patient by asking questions related to the symptoms they feel, such as when the symptoms appear and their frequency, whether shortness of breath is followed by chest pain, and family history of illness.
To determine the possibility of an asthma sufferer having allergies, the doctor will perform a test by injecting several allergens and measuring the size of the red bumps that appear after 20 minutes. The doctor will also perform an IgE or sIgE blood test.
According to the specialist, asthma is usually caused by a host of factors, for instance, the interaction between disease-causing factors, such as genetic predisposition, atopy, airway hyperresponsiveness, airway inflammation, gender, race/genetics, obesity and depression.
Asthma cannot be attributed to the lifestyle of people not having genetic factors for the disease. Asthma is triggered by genetic factors, and it can also be influenced by the environment.
Not all asthma sufferers have to be hospitalized for treatment. Asthma patients that are hospitalized are usually those experiencing secondary infections, such as bacterial infections.
"Hence, someone with asthma must control the disease well and should take precautions against environmental risk factors that can exacerbate the condition and lead a healthy lifestyle, such as engaging in regular exercise and eating nutritious foods," he stated.
Related news: Government should lobby for WHO approval on Sinovac vaccine: MP
Related news: Indonesia continues crackdown on armed Papuan terrorists: minister
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Ikhwan Wahyudi, Katriana
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
