Society Moves To Streamline Asthma Treatment

The Nigerian Thoracic Society (NTS), says that there is the need to streamline the various treatment options in the management and Asthma in Nigeria to meet international standards and practices worldwide.
To attain the standard, the society has initiated the “Guideline for Asthma Management in Nigeria’’, launched penultimate Tuesday in Lagos.
The National President, National Thoracic Society, Prof. Etete Peters, told newsmen in Lagos that the management of asthma in Nigeria over the decades had involved diverse therapeutic approaches.
“The challenges of managing asthma are still enormous because of the diverse approaches to it by many patients some of whom still adopt unorthodox methods of treatment.
“This gave room for the need to put together a concise method of treatment which was initiated in Uyo in November 2015,’’ he said.
Prof. Gregory Erhabor, Chairman, National Asthma Committee, said that asthma was an inflammatory disease that affects the lungs, causing repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and nighttime or early morning coughing.
Erhabor, a Consultant Pulmonologist and professor of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, said that asthma had to do with genetic pre-dispositions.
“If the family had asthma history or allergies, one becomes predisposed to acquiring the disease.
“Asthma is a great killer in the world; annually, about a quarter of a million people die globally from asthma.
“Although we do not have written statistics here, we know that a lot of people equally die from asthma in Nigeria.
“They die because their conditions are poorly diagnosed, under-treated and they do not have the right guidelines for treating their conditions.
“Globally, guidelines are set but they have to be adapted to the local images and peculiarities.
“So, with the Nigeria Asthma Guidelines, what we are trying to get is local peculiarities toward  helping the physician, healthcare providers, pharmacies and even the patient, on the proper way to manage asthma,’’ he said.
According to Erhabor, who is also the President of Asthma and Chest Care Foundation, this will help to reduce the burden of the disease.
On the significance of the guidelines, he said: “Almost every nation of the world has a guideline, but there is a global guideline which we call the Global Initiative for Management of Asthma (GIMA).
“However, we are creating a Nigerian guideline which will be useful to Nigeria and the West African sub-region as there is no other guideline in West Africa; South Africa has one.
“Again, not everything that is done globally for the management of asthma can be applicable to Nigeria because some of the drugs are not affordable and may not even be available.
“Also, some of the drugs have their way of working due to genetic predispositions; so, every year, we will look at what is new and upgrade the guidelines.
“This guideline will be distributed to hospitals, medical centres, medical schools and teaching hospitals; people will now have a way of managing asthma.
“We hope to distribute as many copies as possible, to make it accessible online and also include it in medical journals,’’ he said.
Erhabor said that asthma could be triggered by genetic predisposition and environmental conditions, including house dust, stressful situations, exercise and allergies.
“Some drugs, some occupation, laboratory and climatic conditions can also trigger attack in asthmatics.
“Attacks are common in early mornings and late at nights; if one does not have attacks in the night, then it may not be asthma
“Some symptoms of asthma include cough, restlessness and allergies,’’ Erhabor said.
Also, Dr Emmanuel Alabi, Past Membership Director and Administrative Secretary, NTS, said: “This guideline is one of its kind in Africa, especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Most countries like U.S. and U.K. have their guidelines to direct institutions and asthma caregivers on how to manage the disease; this is a written document which is revised from time to time.
“For Nigeria to have one, it is a good and laudable development and I urge all practitioners and caregivers in the management of asthma to adhere to the guidelines,’’ Alabi said.