Today is celebrated on World Asthma Day, the most common chronic disease in children. Bronchial asthma is a respiratory condition that has increased markedly in recent decades, mainly due to environmental factors.
According to data from the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), asthma affects 8 percent of adults and 12 percent of children.
This year's motto is "You can control your asthma", with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of the patient learning to live in a healthy way, with the ability to identify and manage crises, promoting self-care and reducing exposure to risk factors.
Young children are more likely to suffer respiratory conditions due to the immaturity of their lungs and respiratory tract, therefore it is necessary to prevent any risk factor, even from pregnancy. We know, for example, that smoking in pregnancy is related to an increased risk of childhood asthma, and of course also exposure to smoke in young children.
At present there is no curative treatment of the disease, therefore the only way to improve the child's quality of life is to control the symptoms with the treatment prescribed by the doctor.
One of the biggest problems of asthma is that the diagnosis is complicated in children under 5 years, since the symptoms can be very atypical and difficult to relate to this process.
In severe cases that are not treated correctly, the child may have serious complications. Therefore, it is essential that children with asthma, especially allergic base, are very controlled by the pediatrician or allergist. This control, together with the training of parents in the management of the disease, greatly improves the quality of life and prognosis of these children.
