15 million Nigerians have asthma —Nigerian Thoracic Society

In marking the World Asthma Day on Monday, Nigerian Thoracic Society (NTS), has said over 15 million Nigerians have asthma, warning a large number of them stand a high chance of dying from the disease due to inadequate education.



President, NTS, Professor Peter Etete, in a release, said that currently in Nigeria, 75 per cent of hospital admissions from asthma and as many as 90 per cent  of the deaths from the disease are avoidable.

Etete,  the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Universality of Uyo, Alkwa Ibom State, said that this should not be so, saying that Nigeria has lost many gifted and illustrious   people   prematurely  to asthma.

The medical expert describing asthma as one of the most common chronic lung diseases affecting approximately 400 million people worldwide, said despite the availability of different asthma drugs, the underlying reason for many of the deaths is inadequate education.

Given that a significant number of asthma patients are still limited with their asthma, he stressed the need for a strong patient education to ensure  that Nigerians know that although, the disease may not be cured, it can be controlled.

Etete  said  that globally, people with asthma will grow by more than 100 million by 2025, adding that the condition was typically characterised by recurring respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightening.

 “They can live optimally well with no limitation in spite of the asthma. Patient education should also focus on the appropriate use of controller medications and discourage injudicious use of relievers which are often abused,” he said.

Etete, however, encouraged patients and relatives of individuals with recurrent cough, noisy breathing, and breathlessness to report to the nearest health facility for necessary tests to rule out asthma.

He declared the association’s readiness to collaborate with Governments in conducting epidemiological studies to determine the exact burden of the disease and implementation of evidence based approach to managing the disease.