South Africa was ranked by the Global Initiative for Asthma as having the world's fourth highest asthma death rate among five to 35-year-olds in 2012.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children and most deaths occur in lower income countries. As a chronic respiratory disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that as many as 235-million people are suffering from asthma worldwide.
Dr Charl Verwey from the Division of Paediatric Pulmonology at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital says asthma-related deaths are as a result of a cocktail of systemic problems in the country. He says more recent studies have pinned the prevalence rate of asthma in South African children between 10 and 20%. He says there are many challenges facing the proper management of asthma in poorer communities.
"Often [poor] communities lack basic amenities which make the use of biomass fuels necessary."
"The bigger problem is that even though South Africa has a relatively low prevalence rate of asthma compared with countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the UK, we do have a higher asthma mortality rate than these countries where deaths from asthma are extremely rare."
South Africa has a high acute respiratory infection rates according to WHO. Verwey says the chance of a child developing asthma increases if the parents have asthma.
"Apart from this, a child with an atopic (allergic) predisposition has a greater chance of developing asthma. This atopic predisposition may lead to food allergies, allergic rhinitis and asthma."
Verwey says allergens or substances like pollen, house dust mites, airway irritants, cockroach dander and mould are causes of asthma. And because South Africa has an almost year-round pollen season, depending on geographical distribution, there are almost year-round symptoms of allergy and asthma in many children.
"There are no modern miracles that can cure asthma, but the disease can (and should) be well controlled with asthma treatment. The most important of these is inhaled steroids," says Verwey.
On the use of cannabis as a treatment for asthma, Allergy Clinic specialist Dr Adrian Morris says the the use of cannabis as preventing asthma is a myth.
"Cannabis or hemp may have a number of therapeutic effects in pain relief, epilepsy and mental illness (although it can also trigger psychoses)."
Verwey says inhaled medication is not absorbed into the body, but only deposited into the lung.
"But the other important pillar of asthma treatment is educating the family regarding the disease, correct use of medication, compliance with medication and providing an action plan in case the child does not respond to his or her medication."
Source: Sowetan
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