Introduction
Asthma is one of the most commonly globally prevailing non-contagious diseases that have an impact on affecting people's life quality. Asthma is a chronic disease of the bronchial airways, obstructing the lungs by swelling and narrowing, making breathing difficult. Asthma is considered a public health issue for adults and children, with an evident incidence of environmental factors being the causative agent. However, there is an increase in the occurrence and prevalence of asthma in children, and the effect on the life-and-death ratio is greater in adults. Asthma, considered a global epidemic, is seen more in lower to middle-income countries, and the incidence is seen to subside in developed countries. According to the studies, the incidence of asthma around the globe will be nearly three hundred million, and by 2025, the rate is predicted to increase by a hundred million.
What Is the Occurrence and Prevalence of Asthma Around the Globe?
The prevalence, severity, and death rate around the globe varies geographically, where the disease is seen more in higher economic countries. In comparison, the severity and death rate is seen more in lower economic countries. Around the world, considering the diseases that are the more common cause affecting the quality of life with disability, asthma is ranked 16th. Of those being a burden, asthma is ranked 28th. The incidence of asthma in children and adults varies along the life span; in children, there is a higher incidence seen in boys of prepubertal age than in girls, showing symptoms of occurrence and hospitalization, but during the later years, around fifty years of life, there is a rise in the female incidence of asthma than men. Studies also show that men show a peak incidence during the fourth decade of life. It is also considered that sex hormones are one of the important causes of asthma.
How Is Asthma the Global Epidemic Seen To Subside in Some Parts of the World?
Around the 1960s, the second half of the twentieth century, there was a noticeable increase in asthma in developed countries, predominantly seen in children. Because of this, various studies were conducted by communities like the European Community Respiratory Health Surveys (ECRHS) and the International Analysis of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which stated that asthma is one of the most commonly prevalent chronic diseases around the world seen in people of all age groups. However, recognition of the disease, shifts in diagnostic methods, and conducting awareness studies and programs during the last few decades of the twentieth century reduced the incidence considerably. Still, the studies made with experiments on bronchus show that the major factor for an increase in asthma rate was the environmental factors that also led to a rise in other allergic conditions like eczema or skin rashes. The decline in asthmatic rates was achieved by using data to keep track of all the stages along with minor symptoms of asthma like wheezing or coughing, breathing difficulty, or blood in sputum, which are tracked down and given medical help that leads to an overall decline of the scenario.
What Are the Factors Causing Asthma?
Both adult and childhood asthma occur due to various triggering factors, and these triggering factors have a greater influence on the occurrence of asthma. The factors that serve as the reason for causing asthma can be both allergic or non-allergic and sometimes act as triggering agents. These factors are:
Smoking: Smoking as a causative factor can be in children and adults. The history of parent smoking when the child is in the womb and constant exposure to smoke from childhood can be a triggering factor for asthma in children, and chronic smoking plays a significant role in adult patients. The ingredients from the smoke or tar act as agents that irritate the bronchial airway, resulting in asthma.
Food as Allergens: Many foods we intake are considered a potential triggering factor for multiple diseases, including asthma. Some commonly consumed potentially allergenic foods are egg whites, peanuts, and nuts from trees like pine nuts, walnuts, and cow's milk. Patients who already have a history of allergies should avoid these to prevent the occurrence.
Air Pollutants: Air pollution has been considered a global reason for the incidence of asthma for both children and adults, with a higher prevalence in India and China. Around the world, almost an average ratio between nine to twenty-three million people are affected with asthma, of which five to ten million people are responsible for air pollution. Apart from traffic-related air pollution, other factors, including nitrous dioxide exposure on major roads, are also considered.
Rain and Thunderstorms: Asthma with thunderstorms as a triggering factor is generally seen after a change in the climate or for a few days during and while the chillness persists. Asthma during rain storms occurs due to an increase in the number of pollens or fungal spores that trigger people. This is usually seen in patients who are already sensitized and more susceptible to the common cold.
Indoor Allergens: The indoor allergens that often act as asthmatic triggers are dust, mites, cats and dogs, shedding coats of pets, and molds. Here, the etiology of asthma is unclear, but constant exposure from childhood may develop resistance; however, it is still a hypothesis.
Occupational Hazards: The reasons for occupational asthma are mainly ninety percent due to the work environment sensitizing the immunoglobulin ( IgE) and ten percent due to the irritants in the workplace. Most jobs that trigger asthma are latex industries, tea estates, and wood and carpentry works. These reasons can be a constant factor and lead to poor disease recognition; proper prevention guidelines should be managed.
Lifestyle Changes: Lifestyle changes such as diets with high calorie and high sugar levels compromise the immunity and obesity of the body, which leads to strenuous physical activities. All these act as triggers for increasing the incidence of asthma. Studies have also shown that feeding a child with breast milk reduces the occurrence of the disease.
What Are the Associated Health Impacts on Children and Adults?
The occurrence of asthma leads to many comorbidities along with compromised lung function. Some of the clinical conditions associated with asthma seen both in adults and children are:
Infection associated with pneumonia.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
A decline in lung function.
Conclusion
Along with the changing trend and environmental factors acting as determinants for asthma in adults and children, the incidence effects are more potent in children than in adults. Furthermore, although asthma as a global epidemic is seen to subside in developed countries, it is still reaching a higher prevalence in lower economic countries. Along with these epidemiological factors, environmental factors are also under constant research for studying the etiology and prevention of asthma. Although asthma in recent times is mostly manageable, these factors and studies can considerably reduce the incidence of asthma in adults and children in years to come.
