- By Priyanka Munshi
- Tue, 07 May 2024 04:09 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
For asthma sufferers of all ages, inhalers are essential for treating the condition. These carry-around gadgets administer medication immediately to the lungs, providing immediate relief during asthma episodes and assisting in everyday symptom management. Inhalers help people with asthma breathe easier, participate in daily activities, and lead active lives by widening their airways and reducing inflammation.
Asthma flare-ups can be avoided, oral medicine and ER visits can be decreased, and general quality of life can be enhanced by regularly using inhalers as prescribed by medical specialists. Inhalers are a vital tool for many asthma patients, helping them better manage their condition and maintain respiratory health. In a conversation with Jagran English, Dr. Vikas Mittal, a pulmonologist at CK Birla Hospital in Delhi, discussed some of the myths around inhalers.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition plagued by chronic misinformation. The prevalence of asthma in India is about 3% (30 million patients), with 2.4% in adults aged above 15 years and between 4% and 20% in children. Since various stigmas are attached to the use of inhalers among the public, it is essential to build awareness about inhalers, as they form the most important way in which asthma is treated. Therefore, let us correct five common myths around the usage of inhalers.
Myth: Regular Use Of Inhalers Can Be Addictive
Fact: The most common notion about using inhalers is that they are addictive. Asthma is a long-term disease that can be well controlled with prescribed treatment in the form of inhalers; however, asthma has no cure, so inhalers act as a lifeline for most asthmatic patients, making it a necessity, not an addiction. Inhalers relieve asthma patients in the short term as well as the long term; therefore, they are sometimes given as needed only for the short term and sometimes given regularly to help you cope with your condition. It is like continuing your medications for any long-term disease like high blood pressure or diabetes and needing spectacles for weak eyesight throughout your life, but “you are definitely not addicted to your spectacles.”
Myth: Inhalers Have Steroids That Can Harm You
Fact: Many people link steroids to their harmful effects, such as stunted growth and weak bones. Inhalers have steroids in microgram doses (µg), i.e., 1000 times less than milligram (mg) doses in oral steroids. Also, inhalers are given directly into the airways and are not directly absorbed by the body, so they have minimal side effects compared to when they are given in the form of tablets. Steroids are integral to subsiding asthmatic symptoms, as asthma is an inflammatory disease. On the contrary, if inhaled steroids are not used to prevent asthma worsening, asthma itself can affect the growth of children and lead to long-term problems with severe asthma.
Myth: Oral Medications Are More Effective Than Inhalers
Fact: Various studies and research show that oral medications are less effective since they take longer to act during an asthma attack, while inhalers deliver medications directly to airways where the main problem is (inflammation) and thus provide immediate relief. In this way, we need fewer doses of medications and thus have fewer side effects. For example, a 2 mg tablet of asthalin is equivalent to 20 puffs of asthalin inhaler, as each puff contains only 100 µg.
Regular use of inhalers can prevent flare-ups, decrease oral medicine and ER visits, and enhance overall quality of life.(Image Credit:Canva)
Myth: Inhalers Should Only Be Used For Severe Cases Of Asthma
Fact: Inhalers contain medication that not only relieves but also controls asthma in the long run. Asthma is a long-lasting chronic disease but a fully controllable disease that has no cure and, if not treated, can become severe and uncontrollable. Therefore, inhalers, which are the mainstay treatment for asthma, should be used regularly to prevent it from turning into severe asthma.
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Myth: Asthma Is Curable
Fact: Asthma is a long-term (chronic) condition that cannot be completely cured, be it by using inhalers or other recommended medications. But the good news is that it is fully controllable, and patients can live a normal life by controlling their asthma with prescribed treatment. The symptoms caused by asthma may subside over time, and the required medicines can eventually be reduced or stopped, but that does not mean it has been cured. For patients whose asthma gets triggered after a long time of no medication intake, the next asthma attack can instead turn fatal. This is why it is advisable to continue or stop taking medications (inhalers) as per your doctor's advice only.
