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Travelling with asthma is quite a struggle

DUBAI — This year’s long vacation period and travelling by air to their destinations could be quite a struggle for the high proportion of the population in the UAE that suffers from asthma, say doctors.

In fact, for them taking a plane or even a car to reach their much-desired destination is often a big challenge. As the number of asthma patients in Dubai, estimated at 15 per cent for adults and 40 per cent of the child population, is still on the rise, this affects a big proportion of the population in the UAE. However, the worst part of the story is that majority of those who suffer from asthma are unaware of their condition.

Poor air circulation in the plane, overused blankets and pillows given during the flight as well as dust in the hotel rooms are the biggest dangers that await the travellers, especially children during this holiday season. These can trigger asthma, create discomfort on chest, shortness of breath, and often cause asthma attacks, which can deadly. Often parents do not realise the early warning signs such as sneezing, sniffles, wheezing and coughing.

Dr. Badi Alatasi from Welcare Hospital said, “Problem here is that parents ignore the fact that almost half of the children in the UAE suffer from asthma. It can be deadly and a vacation can turn into a nightmare. When parents see their children having typical asthma symptoms such breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness and coughing, they should let their children get checked by a chest specialist. As such half an hour's consultation can save a life and guarantee a problem-free holiday. The doctor can then provide the traveller with an asthma plan, which states what to do in the event of an asthma attack. Also he can prescribe extra asthma medication to be brought along on the holiday.”

If travelling to UK, India, Pakistan, Egypt and South Africa, parents should be careful since pollution in these countries are significantly higher and can be very dangerous, he added. The social and economic impact of asthma is enormous not only directly as the result of increased health-care costs but indirectly as the consequence of loss of productivity. Asthma remains a leading cause of absenteeism from work or school.

“Thanks to the new medications available in UAE, parents do not need to worry when their child is diagnosed with asthma. However, it is important that a “controlled” usage of corticosteroids must be promoted. At this moment corticosteroids are the most effective and only way of treating asthma," said Dr. Alatasi