Hyderabad, November 16: Around 15 per cent of school children in Hyderabad are asthmatic and it’s not just the pollution, but improper usage of inhalers and dosage of medication that is aggravating the problem.
Doctors insist that syrups and tablets that go directly to the blood stream instead of the airways are harmful and so parents should desist from changing from inhalers to these medications. In addition, excessive use of preventive and reliever inhalers add to the complexity of the ailment.
Dr Pradyut Waghray, consultant pulmonologist at Apollo Hospital and respiratory specialist of the Kunal Institute of Medical Specialties Private Ltd, said, “In the last five years, there has been about a 10 per cent increase in incidences of childhood asthma cases in the city, especially in the age group of two-seven years. However, the high level of pollution in the city is not the only cause for this increase, but improper usage of inhalers (by administering only reliever inhalers in case of attacks and not giving regular dose of preventive inhalers to kids), and smoker parents are major contributing factors to increasing asthma cases among kids.”
Dr. Subhakar Kandi, professor of pulmonary medicine, Osmania Medical College, explained, “Usually, asthma patients make the mistake of taking reliever inhaler in the event of a sudden attack and don’t use the preventer inhalers, which aggravates the ailment turning it into a chronic problem.” Dr Subhakar also said that though syrups and tablets are marketed as an alternative to inhalers, in the long run, they turn out to be expensive, less effective and lead to side effects.