For more information about World Asthma Day activities, visit the GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma) website by clicking here.
WORLD ASTHMA DAY - MAY 3, 2005
World Asthma Day is an annual event developed by GINA (the Global Initiative for Asthma) in order to raise awareness about asthma and improve asthma care throughout the world. The theme of World Asthma Day will be “The Unmet Needs of Asthma” and was selected to emphasize the need for better asthma treatment and control.1
Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by difficulty breathing. The incidence of asthma is increasing globally, especially among children, and it is now estimated that as many as 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma.2
It is believed that asthma accounts for one in every 250 deaths worldwide,3 and many of these deaths are preventable, with adequate treatment. In Canada, about 10 people die from asthma each week and it is estimated that 80% of these deaths can be avoided.4
Worldwide, the economic costs associated with asthma are estimated to exceed those of Tuberculosis and HIV / AIDS combined.5 Approximately $1.8 billion USD is spent annually on asthma care in Britain, and in the United States, annual asthma care costs exceed $6 billion USD. In India, the cost of asthma treatment is 9% of per capita annual income.6
The indirect costs, such as lost productivity due to missed work and school absenteeism are substantial. In Canada, asthma accounts for one-quarter of school absenteeism.7
Minimizing hospital visits and the indirect costs associated with asthma is critical. Patient education and the development of an individualized asthma action plan are essential steps in managing asthma.
Trudell Medical International* develops and manufactures pharmaceutical aerosol drug delivery devices for human and animal health application. With a dedication to providing unsurpassed quality products for the management of asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), we take our role within respiratory disease management very seriously. We support the need for World Asthma Day and the importance of raising global awareness of this chronic lung disease.
1 The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)
2 Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R. Global Burden of Asthma. Developed for the Global Initiative for Asthma. May, 2004.
3 Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R. Global Burden of Asthma. Developed for the Global Initiative for Asthma. May, 2004
4 The Canadian Lung Association
5 World Health Organization, Fact Sheet on Bronchial Asthma, #206, January 2000
6 World Health Organization, Fact Sheet on Bronchial Asthma, #206, January 2000
7 The Canadian Lung Association
* trade-marks and registered trade-marks of Trudell Medical International
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