On 6 May, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease celebrates World Asthma Day

May 6, 2008 - PRLog -- World Asthma Day, organised annually by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), is an occasion for people around the world to raise awareness about asthma and to improve asthma care. Over 300 million people in the world suffer from asthma, and there are over 250,000 asthma-related deaths each year. Although asthma is a potentially life-threatening chronic respiratory condition, it can be successfully treated and controlled.

This year’s theme “You can control your asthma” sends a clear message: with proper management, patients can control their own asthma. The Union strongly supports this message.

Dr Chiang Chen-Yuan, Director of the Lung Health Department of The Union, stated “Asthma is one of the most common inflammatory lung diseases in the world. However, it can be successfully treated and controlled through effective management – by identifying a patient’s risk factors, assessing the appropriate treatment and monitoring the evolution of the disease.”

Dr Nils E. Billo, Executive Director of The Union, declared “Prof. Nadia Aït-Khaled, Head of The Union’s Asthma Division, has coordinated studies in numerous low- and middle-income countries, implementing the standardised management recommendations explained in our Asthma Guide. After one year of standardised management, the severity of asthma decreased dramatically for the majority of patients and the number of emergency room visits and hospitalisations decreased by more than 70%. Thus, the implementation of such standardised management can significantly improve a patient’s asthma, and reduce health costs for patients, their families, communities and governments.” He added, “Furthermore, large epidemiological studies have shown that asthma is on the rise throughout the world. This increase can be observed essentially in low- and middle-income countries, where access to treatment - even to the essential asthma drugs recommended by the World Health Organization - is particularly difficult and costly.”

The Union assists countries in their efforts to improve asthma care. It provides technical assistance and a practical guide with tools and training materials for the management of asthma. It conducts operational research with its network of international experts in low- and middle-income settings. The Union also advocates for more equitable access to quality asthma drugs and care. To this end, it is developing the Asthma Drug Facility, a mechanism that provides access to affordable good quality essential drugs.


For further information, please visit our web site at: www.iuatld.org

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The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, known as The Union, is the only international voluntary scientific organisation with partners in all regions providing a neutral platform to fight TB, HIV, asthma, tobacco and lung disease.