Asthma, the most common chronic disease among children worldwide, has emerged as a silent health crisis in Nigeria, affecting an estimated 13 million people, reports ITREALMS.
ITREALMS gathered that despite being more common in children than adults, studies showed that adults are four times more likely to die from asthma.
"Over 80% of asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries, including Nigeria, revealing an urgent need for better healthcare interventions to curb mortality rates," according to a healthcare provider, the Total Health Trust Limited during a recent commemoration of World Asthma Day.
ITREALMS also gathered that asthma is a non-communicable lung condition that causes sporadic breathing difficulties. It usually begins in childhood, but can also develop in adults, affecting people of all ages.
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The disease occurs when the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, narrowing the airways and reducing airflow to the lungs.
Common symptoms, according to experts include wheezing which is a whistling sound when breathing; breathlessness and tightness in the chest; chronic coughing, especially at night or following physical activity.
They also posited that while asthma is manageable, it could become life-threatening if left untreated.
Asthma attacks, often triggered by environmental factors or allergens, account for most asthma-related deaths worldwide.
Kachimsicho Nweke/Editor
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