Raising Awareness On Asthma Management @ ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’

Asthma Malaysia

FB : Asthma Malaysia

*****

Do you know what is the latest and best control measures for effective asthma management?

Thanks for the invitation, I recently went to the launching event of ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’ campaign by Asthma Malaysia to raise public awareness on asthma. It was held against the backdrop of World Lung Day 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to empower patients with asthma with knowledge of the best measures to help control their condition.

The campaign was officiated by YBhg. Tan Sri Jemilah Mahmood, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Health and jointly launched with Dr. Helmy Haja Mydin, Consultant Respiratory Physician and Co-founder of Asthma Malaysia, and Dr. Sanjeev Panchal, Country President, AstraZeneca Malaysia.

Asthma is an inflammatory disease that affects as many as 339 million people worldwide. In Malaysia, asthma affects almost 2 million patients. Adults with respiratory diseases are the 2nd most common cause of death within the Ministry of Health hospitals.

A local study Assessing Asthma control level in Primary Care setting (ASCOPE) had revealed that 8 out of 10 patients in clinics are patients with mild asthma. Unfortunately, less than 50% have good overall control of asthma. The presence of COVID-19 is an added concern for those with asthma, as patients with poorly controlled asthma have a higher risk of complications from the viral infection.

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), a medical guidelines organisation for asthma, unveiled their guidelines for asthma management in 2020. These guidelines no longer recommend the use of Short-Acting Beta2-Agonist (SABA) alone to manage asthma symptoms, which is one of the most significant changes in asthma management over the past 30 years. In fact, GINA has highlighted the danger of over-using SABA inhalers for patients who consumes 3 or more canisters per year.

Studies have shown that the use of SABAs in the absence of effective anti-inflammatory treatment has been associated with an increased risk of asthma exacerbations, increased hospital admissions and asthma related-deaths due to increased levels of airway inflammation. Despite the growing evidence against SABA over-use, the practise of excessive over-prescribing and over-reliance of SABA still persists.

To address these concerns, Asthma Malaysia aims to educate the public as well as healthcare professionals on the importance of breaking the chain of SABA over-reliance through the ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’ awareness campaign.

Various players from both the medical profession have come together to make this awareness campaign a successful one, including Malaysian Thoracic Society (MTS), Family Medicine Specialist Association (FMSA), Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS), as well as the private sector like AstraZeneca Malaysia, AA Pharmacy, BIG Pharmacy, Caring Pharmacy, Alpro Pharmacy, AMPM Pharmacy, HTM Pharmacy, Multicare Pharmacy, Straits Pharmacy and Wellings Pharmacy.

Dr Helmy shared, “The over-use and over-reliance on a SABA or ‘reliever’ inhaler can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Patients who need their reliever inhalers more than twice a week are viewed as not having good asthma control, and this increases the risk of a severe asthma attack. It is important to understand that the ‘controller’ inhalers are the ones that address the underlying problem and if patients only use the ‘reliever’ inhaler, the condition is prolonged with risk of increased complications.”

Although there is no cure for asthma, it is a condition that can be well-controlled, which is characterised by good symptom management, usage of reliever medication no more than twice a week, having no nocturnal symptoms and no limitation to normal levels of activity.

“This is the first time that GINA has recommended the use of both reliever and controller medication when treating asthma symptoms. This helps the patient feel better, but also starts treating the underlying inflammation at an earlier stage. Studies have demonstrated that this approach reduces the risk of severe exacerbations by about two-thirds, compared with SABA only treatment. With these new guidelines in place, it is imperative that we reach out to patients to empower them with this knowledge so that they can better control and manage their condition,” Dr Helmy reiterated further.

Besides the ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’ awareness campaign, AstraZeneca has lent support to other efforts to improve asthma management. These include uplifting the capabilities of healthcare professionals through an on-going series of webinars and PACE (Primary Asthma Care Excellence) programme, an e-learning module and providing the latest patient materials for asthma patients through the Breathe EaSY programme.

Speaking on the partnership with Asthma Malaysia and the campaign, Dr Sanjeev stated, “We recognise there are gaps in overall asthma management care and therefore feel it is important for us to partner with the right organisation to create an integrated holistic ecosystem that brings benefits and support for the whole patient experience. This campaign comprises support for both patients and healthcare professionals across diagnosis, treatment and prevention.”

“This collaborative effort with Asthma Malaysia is meaningful as it enables us to create a patient-centric ecosystem that addresses the gaps in the treatment of asthma patients. As patients are at the heart of what we do, we are fully supportive of the ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’ campaign because we believe that this awareness campaign is an effective way to reach out to patients to help alleviate concerns and provide guidance on managing their asthma. We want to empower and help them play an active part in managing their health,” Dr Sanjeev further added.

Many patients are apprehensive about the impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on their health. It is very important to increase the need for appropriate controller medication to be used by patients in order to reduce the risk of complications. For those who wish to know how to take control of their asthma, can kindly visit Asthma Malaysia Facebook Page for further info and enquiries.

Related Post : Asthma Malaysia Raises Awareness on “Breathe Better” Asthma Management @ World Asthma Day