According to World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Asthma Network, up to 334 million pipo worldwide fit dey suffer from asthma. For Africa, di prevalence dey from 4 to 22%.

Doctor Ali Baddredine, na private pulmonologist based in di Senegalese capital Dakar, and e enlighten us on di causes, symptoms and tips for living better wit asthma.

Wetin be Asthma?

Asthma na chronic respiratory disease wey dey manifest by difficult breathing and wheezing.

E dey cause difficult breathing and a feeling of suffocation caused by inflammation and contracture of di muscles around di airways, wey make breathing more difficult for di subject.

Asthma na one disease wey no get cure but you fit manage am.

"In fact, asthma na chronic inflammatory disease of di lower airways, therefore bronchial, and e dey defined by di presence of respiratory symptoms. Dis na di clinical signs, namely respiratory discomfort.

"Dat na why we call am wheezing Disney. E fit also manifest im sef as a dry cough or a feeling of chest tightness. All these symptoms vary in time and intensity,” na so Dr Baddredine tell us.

Wetin be di symptoms of asthma?

Asthma dey affect di lungs. Symptoms fit appear in form of cough, wheezing, shortness of breath afta more or less intense exercise, a feeling of tightness for di rib cage (in fi chest), wheezing or difficulty breathing normally.

“Di frequency and intensity of asthma symptoms fit different from one pesin to anoda and depending on di time of di day. E dey generally more common at night or early in di morning,” according to Dr Ali Baddredine.

Wetin be di contributing or triggering factors?

Several factors fit trigger asthma symptoms or make am worse.

Genetic predisposition to allergy combined wit external environmental factors no dey often trigger of di disease.

Inhaling irritating vapors or smoke fit cause respiratory distress or an attack for pesin wey dey asthmatic. Some smoke dey particularly harmful, such as tobacco smoke wey contain many irritating substances wey fit aggravate inflammation of di bronchi and trigger an asthma attack.

Prolonged exposure to allergenic substances such as pollens, dust mites, dust, animal hair, mold, household aerosols, solvents and certain perfumes fit also trigger an asthma attack.

"You know say asthma na still a multifactorial disease wia several factors dey responsible for dis manifestations to intervene.

"E get a genetic, hereditary component even if not all asthma dey hereditary. And above all you get di environmental factors, di viral infections, pollution in particular and allergenic exposures.

"Also you fit still get asthma wey fit get allergic origin without forgetting di irritating factors in particular in our region wit incense, atmospheric pollution wit all dis exhaust gases, temperature variations, air cooling, humidity levels, sand dust,” na so Dr Baddredine point out.

Wetin be di link between climate change and asthma?

Pipo wit asthma dey among di most vulnerable to di effects of climate change. E dey act in different ways on di respiratory health of pipo at risk.

E dey influence di health of di respiratory tract since di lungs dey in direct contact wit di outside world and e be di first to dey exposed to all types of irritation.

According to specialists, asthma attacks often dey triggered by pollutants and allergens such as pollen, exhaust fumes (traffic pollution), air pollution (such as di one wey forest fires cause), heat waves, wildfires, dust storms), floods and increased humidity.

''All these elements dey lead to hyper reactivity becos di asthmatic get branches wey dey hyper reactive, so dis ones go react to di aggressive factors wey dey attack di bronchial mucosa and di reaction wey follow, wey be bronchospasm or cough caused by different inflammatory phenomena", na so Dr Baddredine warn

Which pipo dey at risk?

Asthma dey affect pipo of all ages but particularly younger pipo. Although di genetic factor dey established, di transmission of asthma from parents to children no dey systematic.

Although e no get any typical profile of pipo wey dey prone to asthma, some pipo dey more likely to develop asthma dan odas.

Dis include pipo wit a family history of asthma, allergic rhinitis or eczema, those dem born prematurely, children wey don get severe and repeated respiratory infections (pneumonia, rhinovirus infection, respiratory syncytial virus, etc.), pipo wey dey suffer from obesity, those wey dey exposed to second-hand smoke and air pollution for a long time and those with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

According to Doctor Ali Baddredine, ''we no go fit strictly speak of pipo at risk becos dis no be disease wey dey influenced by certain factors, so we no fit speak of risk.

E dey true say wen you get infants wey get repetitive viral infections, e fit promote wetin we call bronchial hyperreactivity, and e dey make dem wheezy and den asthmatic. But we no fit speak frankly about a population at risk.

E no dey like, for example, high blood pressure, or these na subjects wey dey malnourished, wey get excessive consumption of salt, of products wey fit lead to high blood pressure.''

Wetin be di difference between asthma and sinusitis?

Chronic sinusitis often dey associated wit asthma, but unlike asthma wey dey affect di lungs, sinusitis dey affect di sinuses. E dey present in almost all patients wit asthma symptoms.

Di frequent association of asthma and sinusitis dey come from di fact say pipo wey dey suffer from allergic asthma get a greater risk of suffering from sinusitis, due to greater sensitivity of dia respiratory mucosa.

Di specialist opinion: ''Sinusitis in fact na inflammation of di upper airways and di sinuses dey particular but e get correlation. E get similarity of di nasal-sinus and bronchial mucosa.

Not all asthma dey associated wit sinusitis but wen you get sinusitis, you gatz start to manage di sinusitis becos in di long run, as na di same mucous membrane, di inflammation go go down from di upper airways towards di lower airways, bronchial and therefore turn into asthma.

How to treat asthma?

E dey important to know say di best treatment for asthma remains prevention. Dis involve patient education.

To avoid an asthma attack, patients dey advised not to smoke or frequent smoky places, to expose themselves to factors wey fit trigger or promote di disease, to use products wey fit irritate di respiratory tract (like paints, glues), household products, etc.).

If avoiding triggers no dey sufficient to maintain good symptom control, pipo wit asthma dey recommended to use inhaled corticosteroids, wey fit treat persistent inflammation in di airways.

''As we don tok say na chronic inflammatory disease of di bronchi, dis mean say we must consider having basic treatment and regular monitoring. First of all, we must start by educating di patient. Patient education na awareness of di disease, how to prevent crises wey be episodes wey go make di disease dey more serious.

E get a whole therapeutic arsenal, but you actually gatz to educate di patient to use dem correctly becos you get different stages of asthma. In fact, you get asthma wey we dey call latent becos e no dey manifest itself all did time, dat na asthma wey we call mild, intermittent during a stable period, with no symptoms.

On di oda hand, e get some subjects wey we must be monitor wit regular follow-up wit di pulmonologist, a functional exploration wey don make am possible to quantify asthma and adapt di basic treatment and classify am,'' na so Dr Ali Baddredine tok.

Asthmatic patients fit play sports?

E dey possible to reconcile illness and regular sporting activity. Sports dey allow di acquisition of good muscle mass and e dey improve stress management in pipo wit asthma.

"Sport na one of di cornerstones of treatment. You get athletes and great champions wey dey asthmatic, di whole point na to manage your asthma well in fact, and e get treatments wey dey prevent asthma and even asthma products wey no dey classified as doping products,” Dr Baddredine note.

Swimming and aquagym, cycling, walking at a good pace dey beneficial for asthmatics.

Running, especially endurance running for cold weather, fit cause asthma attacks. To prevent am, di asthmatic must take a bronchodilator 10 to 15 minutes before di race and do a careful warm-up.

Physical activities must dey personalized and adapted according to di patient age and respiratory performance. Pipo wit asthma symptoms suppose consult a healthcare professional before dem engage in sporting activity.

Asthma dey kill?

“Ah yes, as much as asthma fit dey gentle, an attack fit take di patient away. You get wetin we call severe acute asthma. Dis na spontaneous serious crisis wey fit land di patient in intensive care.

E get some pipo wey don interrupt dia treatment without medical advice and wey get a particular psychological context becos e get some psychogenic component of severe asthma attacks, and e dey like dat especially for adolescents, young girls.

Despite all di therapeutic arsenal we get, we must also no forget say sometimes e get some diagnostic errors, wey fit be an overdiagnosis of asthma. We fit get subjects wey don die of wetin we call an asthma equivalent, in particular elderly subjects eey get wetin we call pseudo cardiac asthma.

So we sometimes say e die of asthma wen e die of anoda disease wey resemble asthma, especially for di elderly,” Dr Ali Baddredine warn.

Asthma fit be serious sickness, however e also fit dey managed wit appropriate treatment.

Poorly controlled asthma fit cause irreversible symptoms and lead to an attack or respiratory distress and dat one fit dey fatal.

During an attack, di opening of di bronchi dey reduced due to a significant inflammatory reaction and contraction of di muscles in di wall of di bronchi. Normal breathing go come dey almost impossible for di patient.

Although attacks fit dey effectively calmed by medication, dem dey potentially dangerous, especially in vulnerable pipo (young children, elderly people, suffering from a respiratory infection, etc.).

Living wit asthma na difficult challenge but e no dey impossible to meet as long as you follow a few daily rules.

By adopting a healthy lifestyle, avoid triggers and follow appropriate treatment, e dey possible to control di disease and lead a full and active life, virtually symptom-free.