With the growing pollution, the air quality that we intake is degrading thus affecting our overall health. There have been cases of respiratory diseases which have taken lives of people all over the world. Among the very common respiratory disease is Asthma. But most people go undiagnosed or untreated and suffer from the effects. So in order to create awareness about the lung disease and to ensure the treatments, World Asthma Day is celebrated on first Tuesday of the month of May. So this year, the World Asthma Day is on May 1, 2018.

In the last few years, the number of deaths due to respiratory disease is on a rise. Asthma and  Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are the most common ones and especially in India, a study suggests about 1 lakh people die due to these conditions. So there needs to be special attention to these diseases and in an environment with pollution on the rise, awareness becomes a must.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that makes breathing difficult. With asthma, there is inflammation of the air passages that results in a temporary narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen to the lungs. This results in asthma symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.

History of World Asthma Day

The basic idea of having to celebrate this day is to create awareness about the disease. World Asthma Day was started by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) in 1998. Organised by healthcare workers in over 35 countries, it aims to educate people on how best to get control over this respiratory problem. It takes place on the first Tuesday of May.

Theme for World Asthma Day 2018

Each year there is a different theme to mark this day. The theme of World Asthma Day 2018 is "Never too early, never too late. It's always the right time to address airways disease." The theme basically says that with proper care and medication, the disease can be prevented and controlled. It is both for the patients as well as the healthcare providers to ensure they take precautions about the lung disease. The disease can always be controlled by evaluating the symptoms and acting upon the measures.

The prime objectives of celebrating the World Asthma Day is to improve the healthcare facilities and services for the patients. There are certain guidelines that have to be followed so that it can be controlled. The levels of the disease also vary so the care needs to be taken accordingly. Proper diagnosis and treatment is a must. To create this among the people, seminars and events are held which talk about the symptoms and cures. People are acquainted with the precautionary measures to take.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2018 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).