World Asthma Day: Cutting-Edge Treatments And Management Strategies
Breath Easily; Live Freely!
While almost everyone is familiar with the appearance and sound of an asthma inhaler, only some are aware of the actual nature and cause of the condition and the fact that there are various types of asthma. World Asthma Day is an annual global healthcare event was on the first Tuesday of May to raise awareness of asthma globally. The 6th of May (Tuesday) in 2025 is designated as World Asthma Day. Today, many worldwide and local organizations join together to tackle the world's leading non-communicable disease in children and adults. GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma) created World Asthma Day in partnership with the World Health Organisation.
World Asthma Day 2025 Theme
This year’s World Asthma Day 2025 continues to emphasize the importance of spreading knowledge about proper asthma management and recognising the right time to seek medical help. Empowering individuals through education remains key to controlling the disease and improving quality of life.
In 2025, GINA reaffirms its dedication to strengthening collaboration with local and national policymakers. The organisation also pledges to advance environmental sustainability efforts by addressing global health challenges with patient safety at the forefront. GINA continues to work toward improving the lives of people living with asthma worldwide fostering multi-level cooperation to enhance both asthma care and environmental health.
Importance Of World Asthma Day
Asthma is the most common chronic disease in both children and adults worldwide. Asthma was identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other regulatory bodies as both a cause and an effect of poverty in low- and middle-income nations. According to the WHO, 26.2 crore people have asthma, with a mortality count (deaths) of 4.55 lakh globally in 2019. According to the Global Burden of Disease Report (GBDR) 2019, India has the world's highest and growing burden of asthma in terms of deaths and disability-adjusted life years, with over 3.4 crore people suffering from the disease, despite accounting for only 13% of the world's asthma population and 42% of global asthma disease death rates.
History Of World Asthma Day
The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) established World Asthma Day in 1998. The day was designed to raise awareness of asthma as a growing problem. It affects at least 14% of children worldwide and appears to be rising. Asthma was recognized as a serious public health concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2016. This day aims to enhance asthma care worldwide by educating people about the disease and for better management and preventative techniques.
What Is Asthma?
A Fight For Breathable Air!
While asthma is commonly associated with inflammation of the airways, there is a condition known as cardiac asthma. Most of you must have heard that asthma is an infectious lung disease that can be transmitted from person to person. While the fact is that asthma is a non-communicable inflammatory condition that affects the lungs. Asthma is a chronic lung condition that occurs due to inflammation of the airway which leads to constriction in bronchial tubes or airways. Besides the inflammation, there is also excessive mucus production and muscle stiffening around the bronchial tubes, leading to narrowed airways. Proper asthma diagnosis is crucial to determine the severity of the condition and guide treatment decisions.
Ten Types Of Asthma
- Exercise-induced asthma: Not all types of physical activity aggravate asthma symptoms. For those prone to asthma attacks, strenuous exercises can worsen the condition leading to severe wheezing.
- Occupational asthma: For certain people subjected to chemicals (dyes & rubber) in textile, agricultural, metal, and manufacturing industries, the fumes can irritate their airways and cause asthma attacks.
- Nocturnal asthma: A type of asthma that occurs primarily at night and causes sleep disturbances.
- Allergic asthma occurs when asthmatics consume allergic foods or expose themselves to external triggers such as dust, mites, molds, etc.
- Nonallergic asthma happens when asthmatics are confronted with strong emotions such as stress, exposure to strong odors, etc. Such emotions can flare up asthma attacks.
- Intermittent asthma: This type of asthma attack occurs in those people who experience on-and-off asthma symptoms.
- Persistent asthma: For some people, asthma symptoms may endure for a chronic period. This type of asthma can be presented with mild or moderate to severe symptoms.
- Adult-onset asthma: Asthma symptoms that occur in the late teens.
- Childhood asthma: It has been named childhood asthma based on the onset that occurs in infants or toddlers.
- Asthma- COPD overlap syndrome: This occurs if an asthma attack occurs along with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that flares up the shortness of breath that worsens the wheezing.
What are the factors that cause asthma?
- Hereditary: A family history of asthma is likely to contribute as a risk factor, and it is related to having a high risk of causing asthma. People who experience frequent asthma attack symptoms may have a heightened risk for more severe asthma episodes in the future.
- Obesity: In obese people, an excess amount of fat accumulated in the chest and abdomen region leads to difficulty in breathing due to strong constriction of the airways.
- External factors include passive smoking, exposure to pollution or chemical fumes that tend to irritate your bronchial pathways and elevate the risk of bronchial asthma. In addition, those of you with a history of RSV or respiratory syncytial viral infection are more likely to develop asthma.
Breathing Solutions: Asthma Treatment and Management Options
Effective bronchial asthma treatment involves understanding the pathogenesis of asthma, which has led to the development of targeted treatments. Asthma can be treated by the following methods which are given below:
- Quick-relief medicine: They can help you get immediate relief and prevent or ease the symptoms of asthma. Some of the common relievers which are used in asthma are short-acting beta2-agonists (SABAs), Oral corticosteroids, Short-acting anticholinergics.
- Long-term medication: Your doctor or healthcare provider may prescribe you controller medicines to prevent and control the asthma attacks and its symptoms. Medicines like corticosteroids, biological medicines, leukotrienes modifiers, long-acting bronchodilators, mast cell stabilizers and allergy shots like subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) are helpful in preventing and controlling the asthma. Understanding your asthma medications and their proper usage is key to managing the condition effectively for your asthma self-care.
5 Ways To Manage Asthma
According to the WHO experts, here are the five tips to manage asthma in a better way:
- Be aware of your symptoms: Speak with a doctor if you have symptoms like coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
- Identify and avoid your triggers: It is recommended to identify your asthma triggers (smoke, fumes, viral infections, pollen and animal fur) that worsen the symptoms of asthma and try to avoid them or keep your inhalers with you before you are exposing it.
- Know your inhalers: Use an appropriate inhaler which your doctor recommends you for the asthma symptoms. Some might be recommended to use reliever inhalers whereas others are prescribed steroid inhalers.
- Use a spacer: A spacer is a plastic chamber which connects the inhaler to your mouth through a plastic pipeline. It helps the medicines to be breathed in for more time and improve the effectiveness of the inhaled medicines.
- Take back control: It is recommended to clarify your doubts with your doctor regarding how to use an inhaler in an emergency situation and it is also necessary that your friends and family members are also aware of the steps that they need to take during the emergency situation.
FAQs
1. What are the latest treatments for asthma in 2025?
The newest asthma treatments in 2025 include biologic therapies targeting specific inflammatory pathways, smart inhalers with digital tracking, and personalized medicine approaches based on genetic markers.
2. What is the best inhaler for asthma treatment?
The choice of an inhaler depends on asthma severity. Commonly prescribed ones include inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta-agonists, and combination inhalers like Symbicort or Seretide. Always consult your doctor before switching inhalers.
3. How does World Asthma Day contribute to asthma awareness?
World Asthma Day promotes global awareness through educational campaigns, community events, and advocacy, aiming to improve asthma care and reduce its burden worldwide.
4. Is asthma curable?
Currently, there is no cure for asthma, but with proper management, individuals can control symptoms and lead active lives.
5. What are the common asthma triggers in India?
In India, common asthma triggers include air pollution, dust, pollen, smoke from biomass fuels, respiratory infections, humidity, and seasonal weather changes.
6. How to prevent asthma?
You can prevent asthma by avoiding known triggers, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and following your doctor’s preventive care plan.
7. What is the difference between asthma and COPD?
Asthma is usually reversible and triggered by allergens, while COPD is a progressive, smoking-related disease.
8. What are the asthma signs and symptoms?
Common asthma symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, especially at night or early morning.
Watch your breathing breath; every breath matters!
Asthma can affect anyone, irrespective of age and gender. Consider having a skin prick test to avoid the triggers. Maintaining a healthy weight and following an active lifestyle is important to prevent asthma attacks. It is recommended that you discuss with your doctor about the type of asthma you have and know which treatment plan works best for you. On this World Asthma Day 2025, let's vow to end air pollution and provide our support to asthmatics by creating a healthy environment to breathe clean air.
Read Also
References
- https://ginasthma.org/wad-2025/
- https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2023/5/feature/1-feature-world-asthma-day
- https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/championing-asthma-research-reduce-burden-disease
- https://goldcopd.org/2025-world-asthma-day/
- https://www.who.int/news/item/06-05-2025-working-together-to-make-asthma-a-global-health-priority
