<p>For asthma patients, there were few takeaways from Delhi government’s initiatives like the odd-even formula or car-free days, say experts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>However, the schemes, if combined with other factors over a longer period of time, may successfully bring down pollution levels, they say.With the onset of summer and the capital seeing frequent dust storms, several patients with respiratory diseases are facing trouble.<br /><br />“Last week, the OPD saw 10-15 per cent spike in patients suffering from asthma attacks. The relapse in asthma cases is mostly due to dust storms and decrease in humidity,” says Dr Abhishek Chatterjee, paediatric department, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. In summer months, dust also triggers asthma attacks.<br /><br />To curb air pollution in the long run, the government needs to proactively cut down emission from factories, roadside dhabas, and dust on roads, say medical experts. Car curbs scheme can only be a small step in controlling air pollution. Vehicular pollution contributes to around 30 per cent of the air pollution, say doctors.<br /><br />However, with travel time coming down during a 14-day odd-even drive, people are less exposed to pollution.Dr Dhiren Gupta, paediatric pulmonology specialist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, acknowledges this, but adds: “From my observation, however, there was no major impact on asthma patients during this period.”Schoolgoing children are more vulnerable to air pollution.<br /><br />“This is because children’s height is less and therefore their nose is at a lower level. With air pollution settling at the road level, kids become more susceptible to attacks,” adds Gupta.<br /><br />According to doctors, the overall prevalence of children who suffer from asthma attacks in India is 9 -15 per cent and adults between 3-5 per cent. Asthma is a chronic disease which narrows air passages. People coming to the capital from outside often show severe asthmatic manifestations. These are people who mostly have a background in allergy.<br /><br />The manifestations are, however, seen only when they shift to a city with poor air. Poor air level leads to asthmatic symptoms.<br /><br />Self-medication<br /><br />However, patients often have the tendency to self-medicate which may lead to adverse effects.<br /><br />“There are several mimic diseases of asthma. These are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and vocal chord dysfunction, which is a psychosomatic disease. This disease also involves the mind. Both COPD and vocal cord dysfunction make it difficult to breathe,” says Dr M K Sen, chest specialist at Safdarjung Hospital.<br /><br />“So the message is all that wheezes is not asthma. The asthmatic therapy should begin only when the doctor diagnoses it,” he adds.<br /><br />The other seasonal diseases in summer are hay fever and airborne influenza, say doctors.<br /><br />Take precautions<br /><br />Asthma triggers can be prevented by taking simple precautions. “The main focus should be on avoiding dust. This can be achieved by taking simple precautions. Carpets, perfumes, curtains usually have high dust level accumulated. While cleaning the house, those suffering from asthmatic symptoms should use a mopper instead of a duster. Also, one should only cover the face and then clean household items to avoid contact with dust,” says Dr Sen.<br /><br />Patients should also cover their faces with a clean cloth while on the road.Patients also often neglect the medication prescribed which may lead to aggravated attacks later. Inhalers prescribed for treatment are often avoided by patients as they feel stigmatised to use them in public, say experts. As asthma cannot be cured but only treated, sustained treatment is required.<br /><br />“Air purifiers are often pitched to patients of asthma. This is only a market gimmick and patients should not fall into the trap. Overall cleanliness and hygiene should be maintained to prevent asthma triggers. Patients should take inhalers on time as prescribed,” says Dr Nevin Kishore, pulmonology department, Max Hospital.<br /><br />Other curbs<br /><br />Among the biggest challenge are curbing construction dust and improving the quality of fuel – the other major causes of pollution.“The biggest contributors of air pollution are emissions from the roadside eateries which have mushroomed in the several areas in Delhi. These dhabas, functioning illegally, emit smoke which triggers breathing problems in people. There is no monitoring mechanism in place to analyse how this smoke contributes to air pollution,” says Dr Raj Kumar, head of department of respiratory allergy and applied immunology, Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute.<br /><br />“There is an immediate need to also check firecrackers at wedding ceremonies on everyday basis. If a city sees 500 weddings in a day, and 500 such celebrations, we can logically deduce the amount of pollutants in the air because of this,” he adds.<br /><br />The city government should also focus on cleaning roads. “The government should proactively clean the city roads and find out a way to clamp down on dust emanating from construction sites in every locality. Dust from constructions lead to respiratory problems,” says Dr Gupta.</p>
<p>For asthma patients, there were few takeaways from Delhi government’s initiatives like the odd-even formula or car-free days, say experts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>However, the schemes, if combined with other factors over a longer period of time, may successfully bring down pollution levels, they say.With the onset of summer and the capital seeing frequent dust storms, several patients with respiratory diseases are facing trouble.<br /><br />“Last week, the OPD saw 10-15 per cent spike in patients suffering from asthma attacks. The relapse in asthma cases is mostly due to dust storms and decrease in humidity,” says Dr Abhishek Chatterjee, paediatric department, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. In summer months, dust also triggers asthma attacks.<br /><br />To curb air pollution in the long run, the government needs to proactively cut down emission from factories, roadside dhabas, and dust on roads, say medical experts. Car curbs scheme can only be a small step in controlling air pollution. Vehicular pollution contributes to around 30 per cent of the air pollution, say doctors.<br /><br />However, with travel time coming down during a 14-day odd-even drive, people are less exposed to pollution.Dr Dhiren Gupta, paediatric pulmonology specialist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, acknowledges this, but adds: “From my observation, however, there was no major impact on asthma patients during this period.”Schoolgoing children are more vulnerable to air pollution.<br /><br />“This is because children’s height is less and therefore their nose is at a lower level. With air pollution settling at the road level, kids become more susceptible to attacks,” adds Gupta.<br /><br />According to doctors, the overall prevalence of children who suffer from asthma attacks in India is 9 -15 per cent and adults between 3-5 per cent. Asthma is a chronic disease which narrows air passages. People coming to the capital from outside often show severe asthmatic manifestations. These are people who mostly have a background in allergy.<br /><br />The manifestations are, however, seen only when they shift to a city with poor air. Poor air level leads to asthmatic symptoms.<br /><br />Self-medication<br /><br />However, patients often have the tendency to self-medicate which may lead to adverse effects.<br /><br />“There are several mimic diseases of asthma. These are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and vocal chord dysfunction, which is a psychosomatic disease. This disease also involves the mind. Both COPD and vocal cord dysfunction make it difficult to breathe,” says Dr M K Sen, chest specialist at Safdarjung Hospital.<br /><br />“So the message is all that wheezes is not asthma. The asthmatic therapy should begin only when the doctor diagnoses it,” he adds.<br /><br />The other seasonal diseases in summer are hay fever and airborne influenza, say doctors.<br /><br />Take precautions<br /><br />Asthma triggers can be prevented by taking simple precautions. “The main focus should be on avoiding dust. This can be achieved by taking simple precautions. Carpets, perfumes, curtains usually have high dust level accumulated. While cleaning the house, those suffering from asthmatic symptoms should use a mopper instead of a duster. Also, one should only cover the face and then clean household items to avoid contact with dust,” says Dr Sen.<br /><br />Patients should also cover their faces with a clean cloth while on the road.Patients also often neglect the medication prescribed which may lead to aggravated attacks later. Inhalers prescribed for treatment are often avoided by patients as they feel stigmatised to use them in public, say experts. As asthma cannot be cured but only treated, sustained treatment is required.<br /><br />“Air purifiers are often pitched to patients of asthma. This is only a market gimmick and patients should not fall into the trap. Overall cleanliness and hygiene should be maintained to prevent asthma triggers. Patients should take inhalers on time as prescribed,” says Dr Nevin Kishore, pulmonology department, Max Hospital.<br /><br />Other curbs<br /><br />Among the biggest challenge are curbing construction dust and improving the quality of fuel – the other major causes of pollution.“The biggest contributors of air pollution are emissions from the roadside eateries which have mushroomed in the several areas in Delhi. These dhabas, functioning illegally, emit smoke which triggers breathing problems in people. There is no monitoring mechanism in place to analyse how this smoke contributes to air pollution,” says Dr Raj Kumar, head of department of respiratory allergy and applied immunology, Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute.<br /><br />“There is an immediate need to also check firecrackers at wedding ceremonies on everyday basis. If a city sees 500 weddings in a day, and 500 such celebrations, we can logically deduce the amount of pollutants in the air because of this,” he adds.<br /><br />The city government should also focus on cleaning roads. “The government should proactively clean the city roads and find out a way to clamp down on dust emanating from construction sites in every locality. Dust from constructions lead to respiratory problems,” says Dr Gupta.</p>
