In Brazil, asthma is the fourth leading cause of hospitalizations in the Unified Health System (SUS), with 350,000 cases per year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil is among the 45 most polluted countries in the world, a factor that can worsen asthma cases.
THE CNN Vital Signs this week will show the reality of young and adult patients living with asthma. About 262,000 people around the world suffer from the inflammatory disease that affects the airways, according to WHO estimates.
The rerun of the program presented by cardiologist Roberto Kalil, will air on Wednesday (16), at 10:30 pm, right after the CNN newspaperin the prime range of CNN Brazil.
Participating in the episode are the professor of pulmonology at the Faculty of Medicine Rogério Souza, the psychologist Maria Alice Fontes and the pathologist Paulo Saldiva.
“Asthma is an inflammatory disease, which causes the airway to have a flow limitation. And when it closes, there is a narrowing of the air passage, which can cause shortness of breath, wheezing and can lead to shortness of breath”, explained Rogério (see interview in the video above).
According to the doctor, the development of asthma may be related to a history of the disease in the family and exposure to environmental factors, such as pollution.
anxiety x asthma
In the episode, psychologist Maria Alice Fontes explains how everyday factors, such as stress and anxiety, can be triggers for asthma attacks. “Asthma is very susceptible to stressful situations. People who already have a previous problem, pulmonary, end up worsening the situation in the face of stress”, says Maria.
The psychologist warns that people with a tendency to anxiety can have crises that trigger the stimulation of the adrenaline hormone in the body. In the case of asthmatic people, the reaction can be more severe.
The program brings the information that about 3.7% of patients living with asthma face the severe form of the disease. Data are from the Brazilian Severe Asthma Group.
Pathologist Paulo Saldiva explains that people with asthma are more sensitive to variations in the environment. “When the temperature drops, when the humidity drops and when you breathe pollutant. It causes subclinical inflammation in all of us. And the asthmatic reacts more”.
During the interview, the doctor revealed his suffering with the disease. “I had my first seizure when I was five years old. There was no bomb. The crisis persisted for hours, days. I was bedridden and very anxious, because the asthma attack imposes a feeling of fragility and insecurity on you. And I used asthma as I dare. And, fortunately, today I can live reasonably well with asthma and with the sport that has helped me a lot”.
Patient orientation
the team of CNN traveled to Salvador to show the work developed by Fundação ProAr. The institution is the asthma control program in Bahia conceived in 2003 by doctors Álvaro Cruz and Adelmir Souza Machado, together with a multidisciplinary team of graduate students from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA).
The program aims to expand access to diagnosis and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma. In its first years, specialists managed to reduce hospitalizations in the state by 74%. ProAr offers treatment and, in particular, education for patients in the treatment and control of the disease at home.
In São Paulo, CNN Vital Signs follows the work of the Pulmonary Disease Rehabilitation Center, located at Hospital das Clínicas. In space, asthmatic patients undergo a series of exercises guided by physical therapists to reduce shortness of breath.
Source: CNN Brasil
