In Serbia, the statistics regarding asthma are alarming.
In Europe, about 30 million people have health problems due to asthma, and one million and one hundred thousand patients are hospitalized annually. It has been calculated that, due to the consequences of asthma, around 15 million working days are lost, writes RTS. In Serbia, the statistics regarding asthma are alarming: about ten percent of the population have problems with asthma. The most difficult patients are treated at the Institute of Pulmonology in Belgrade.
“The number of people suffering from asthma is constantly on the rise, we are partly to blame for this because precisely, due to risk factors, such as are smoking, such as air pollution, lifestyle, obesity, physical inactivity… All this contributes to the fact that asthma is in focus,” Dr. Mihailo Stjepanović, who heads the Institute of Pulmonology, told RTS.
He says that at the Institute, about 90 patients receive biological therapy and about 300 patients receive the most modern type of therapy. Dr. Stjepanović explains that the symptoms of asthma are cough, wheezing in the chest, feeling short of breath, which can also occur at night and are a signal that it is necessary to contact a doctor. First, spirometry is done to possibly establish asthma.
He adds that allergens, large temperature differences and air humidity can affect the condition of patients suffering from asthma. Modern biological therapy allows patients to continue to lead a quality life despite asthma, and to, for example, fulfill themselves as parents. This was recently discussed at an expert meeting and panel discussion on asthma in which patients also participated.
(WORLD)