ASTHMA

Asthma

Asthma

Introduction

The prevalence of asthma has rapidly increased over the last few decades to epidemic proportions and there are now an estimated 300 million sufferers worldwide, a total that is expected to rise dramatically over the next 15-20 years [1]. Asthma is associated with enormous healthcare expenditures and, despite the advances in effective therapy, the consequential economic burden associated with disease control and morbidity continues to escalate(Holgate, 2008).

Discussion

Childhood asthma affects more than 1 million school-age children and their families (Jurenec, 1988). Because asthma is a chronic condition, parents and other primary caretakers of children with asthma are exposed to a variety of stresses over extended periods of time, including fears for the child's well-being, practical problems of physical care and discipline, and loss of income and time from work or other activities (Holgate, 2008). Stress may also result from the fact that in most instances guidelines for parents tend to focus on behavioral aspects of medical management of asthma with less attention to the developmental, social, and emotional needs of the child. Caretakers are often unsure in making day-to-day parental decisions about such issues as discipline, school attendance, and the child's participation in peer and athletic activities (Bahadori, 2009). Families may differ in the way they perceive and cope with the stressors associated with rearing a child with asthma.

Large and significant correlations were found between the perceived impact in the areas of financial burden, social and familial isolation, and personal strain. Caretakers reported using active coping, planning, religion, and acceptance of the illness most frequently. The authors suggest the value of making conceptual distinctions between the burden imposed by the illness and the coping skills used by caretakers.

Asthma varies in age of initial onset, course of illness, intensity, and responsiveness to medical intervention. Symptoms include repeated episodes of difficulty ...