{"id":7043,"date":"2021-05-07T10:30:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T02:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=7043"},"modified":"2021-05-07T10:30:11","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T02:30:11","slug":"asthma-both-under-diagnosed-and-misdiagnosed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/asthma-both-under-diagnosed-and-misdiagnosed\/","title":{"rendered":"Asthma both under-diagnosed and misdiagnosed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Proper medical diagnosis of asthma could mean that about one-third of people assumed to suffer from the disease could be weaned off long-term medications, impacting millions of people worldwide,\u00a0says an expert at a top American hospital, Cleveland Clinic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Joe Zein, who specializes in pulmonary medicine at Cleveland Clinic, said: \u201cAsthma impacts millions of people, and proper diagnoses and treatment are vital to treat asthma early before any damage occurs to the airway. Studies show that one-third of patients thought to have asthma are misdiagnosed by doctors, and 15% of asthma patients taking medication long term do not have an objective diagnosis. Proper diagnosis can ensure that patients receive the right treatment, reduce triggers, and lead healthier lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A study in the\u00a0<em>Journal of American Medicine<\/em>\u00a0(<em>JAMA<\/em>) found that 33% of randomly tested asthma patients could be safely weaned off their medications, and did not need long-term inhaled steroids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asthma is one of the world\u2019s major chronic diseases, impacting more than 339 million people globally, and the most common, non-communicable disease among children, according to the World Health Organization. At the same time, studies have found that asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Commenting on\u00a0World Asthma Day 2021\u2019s\u00a0theme of \u201cUncovering Asthma Misconceptions,\u201d Dr. Zein emphasized that while some people assume otherwise, asthma tests are often quick and easy. Common diagnostic methods include a spirometry test that measures the airflow through the lungs, and a\u00a0methacholine challenge test that evaluates how reactive lungs are to changes in the environment. Healthcare practitioners may also request chest x-rays, and blood, skin, or allergy tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asthma patients can suffer from chest tightness, pain, or pressure; coughing; and shortness of breath or wheezing. An asthma attack restricts airflow due to tightened and inflamed airways, and mucus clogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatment can include anti-inflammatory medicines that make it easier for air to enter and exit the lungs, bronchodilators that relax the airway muscles, or biologic therapies that target specific molecules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asthma, which has both genetic and environmental causes, has a wide range of triggers \u2013 especially in people\u2019s own homes and neighborhoods. The most common asthma triggers are dust mites, pet dander, pollen and ragweed, pests such as cockroaches and mice, and mold. Tobacco smoke from the patient themselves or from secondhand smoke, air pollution, and exercise can also all trigger asthma attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople with asthma may not want to get rid of their pets, especially cats or dogs,\u201d added Dr. Zein. \u201cIf asthma patients have to keep their pets in the house, they should keep pets outside of the bedroom, and replace any thick carpets with tile or hardwood to reduce pet dander. Asthma patients should also wash their bedding with hot water, vacuum often to remove dust, and put in de-humidifiers in any damp areas of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Proper medical diagnosis of asthma could mean that about one-third of people assumed to suffer from the disease could be weaned off long-term medications, impacting millions of people worldwide, says an expert at a top American hospital, Cleveland Clinic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7044,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[508,19],"class_list":["post-7043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsmakers","tag-asthma","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7043"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7045,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7043\/revisions\/7045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}