DOSSIER

  18/05/2021 | Mélody DIEL

Respiratory allergies affect nearly one in four French people, and it is estimated that there are four million asthmatics in France, the majority of whom have it due to allergies. This condition affects men and women equally, regardless of age. However, if you suffer from asthma, there is a strong chance that your child will also develop it. In fact, a child has an 80% chance of being asthmatic if both parents have it, and a 50% chance if at least one parent has it. Therefore, although there are no hard and fast rules, you should be particularly vigilant about the possible symptoms of asthma in your child. But what exactly is allergic asthma?

It is a chronic condition that attacks your airways, which explains the difficulty breathing during an attack. Allergic asthma is triggered when you are exposed to certain allergens such as pollen, dust mites, or pet dander. It will be up to the doctor or allergist to determine the factors triggering the asthma attack. To do this, they will conduct a medical history and, of course, skin tests.

Currently, there is no medication that can cure asthma; however, it can be treated. There are two main types of treatment. The first aims to calm the attack using an inhaled bronchodilator, which acts on the bronchial obstruction. The second is a maintenance treatment that aims to control symptoms and reduce the frequency of attacks.

Less well-known, patient education can be very helpful for individuals with severe asthma. Conducted by an allergist or pulmonologist, this program helps patients learn to live with their condition and also to demystify the situation. The objectives of therapeutic education are clear: to enable patients to understand and manage their allergy and its symptoms, to teach them how to control their environment, particularly through avoidance strategies, to guide them in taking their medication, and above all, to advise them on how to react in the event of an asthma attack. Therapeutic education thus addresses all the questions a person with asthma may have through discussions with a doctor and interactive workshops.

  Mélody DIEL

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