For health professionals and patient associations, “it is time to act for better management of asthma and severe asthma”.
- Asthma causes 200,000 emergency visits, 60,000 hospitalizations and 850 deaths each year in France.
- Doctors and patients are campaigning for better management of this respiratory disease.
In a white paper, health professionals and patient associations are proposing 33 measures to better manage asthma in France, especially when it is severe. They campaign mainly for:
– An improvement in the course of care and therapeutic education, “because this disease is trivialized today”.
– The practice of a physical activity, “because obstacles remain, especially for children with asthma and despite the beneficial effects of sport on the disease”.
– The fight against pollution, “because poor indoor and outdoor air quality can greatly aggravate the state of health of patients”.
850 deaths each year
Asthma is a widespread disease, which affects all ages and whose frequency is constantly increasing due to changes in lifestyle (pollution, habitat, climate, etc.). Too often, we consider this chronic respiratory pathology as banal and without gravity. However, it causes 200,000 emergency visits, 60,000 hospitalizations and 850 deaths each year. Between 3 and 5 million French people are affected, with many cases among children and pregnant women.
“If all of us, patients, pulmonologists, allergists, emergency physicians, wanted to come together in a collective that has been able to mobilize widely, it is because, collectively, we can do better”, explains Dr. Chantal Raherison-Semjen, pulmonologist. She continues: “Mbetter to do so that each asthmatic patient can live in healthy housing, which is not responsible for a worsening of his condition, and above all to do better so that the asthma attack is no longer considered as a fatality. It is a fight that requires the coordination of all players, which goes well beyond healthcare professionals and patients. Educators and professors, the professional world… but above all political actors, you all have a role to play.”
Significant impact on daily life
Asthma has significant repercussions on the daily lives of patients, particularly in its severe form: fatigue, loss of efficiency, absenteeism, limitation in physical activity, etc. In addition, the influence of the environment, social inequalities and cultural differences are sources of disparities in the development and influence of this respiratory pathology.
Regarding the coronavirus health crisis, the experts recall that asthmatic patients should under no circumstances interrupt their background treatment, and continue to consult their doctor or specialists.
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