Download Asthma: Takes your breath away!

Asthma: Takes your breath away!
Asthma is a disease with symptoms of recurrent tight chest, wheezing or cough. According to recent
estimates, almost 4 million people in South Africa are living with asthma and require long-term treatment and
care for it.
Asthma is caused by environmental and genetic factors. These factors influence how severe asthma is and
how well it responds to medication.
In an effort to provide ongoing education to our clients we have put together some informative information
regarding this topic.
Symptoms
The most common signs of asthma are:
•
Coughing, especially at night, during
exercise or when laughing.
•
Difficulty breathing
•
Chest tightness
Asthma Facts
•
Shortness of breath
•
Wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound in
your chest when breathing, especially
when exhaling)
Asthma Myths
•
"Asthma" comes from the ancient Greek
word meaning "panting".
•
People with asthma should avoid physical
activity.
•
Asthma is often hereditary.
•
You can outgrow asthma.
•
Asthma and allergies go hand in hand.
•
•
Panda bears have asthma.
Asthma medications stop working over
time.
•
Asthma is all in your head.
Aon Employee Benefits
Healthcare
Word Asthma Day
World Asthma Day 2016 is on 3 May. It is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma
(GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.
The 2016 theme, “You can control your Asthma”, continues the focus on this positive sub-theme
established over the past several years.
Asthma in South Africa
Too many people in SA die needlessly from asthma as they are never diagnosed, which kills almost 300
people per million each year.
Prevalence
•
The 2014 Global Asthma Report done by the Global Asthma Network indicates South Africa as
having the highest asthma related death rate in the world.
•
According to the report by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)
•
-
South Africa also has the world’s 4th highest asthma death rate among five to 35 year olds
-
Of the estimated 3.9 million South Africans with asthma, 1.5% dies of this condition annually.
The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) Annual Report for 2014-2015 ranked Asthma 4th on the list
of prevalent Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) Conditions in open and restricted medical schemes,
29.5 (27.2 per 1 000 average beneficiaries in 2013).
Improving these rankings is precisely why early diagnosis and proper treatment are so important locally. Too
many people in SA die needlessly from asthma
There has been a significant increase in the number of people who have asthma amongst all races in South
Africa. Over the past 25 years, a 25 to 200 times rise in hospital admissions for asthma has been recorded in
hospitals in Durban and Soweto.
Ethnic variations
For decades, allergic diseases have been recognised to be infrequent amongst Africans. Consequently,
recent studies have revealed a lower incidence of family history for allergy amongst them. However, many
more Africans who have a positive family history of allergy, develop allergic diseases as compared to other
races.
The early exposure to foreign allergens from the newly adopted Western lifestyle has contributed to the higher
degree or sensitisation recorded amongst African infants than others. These factors account for the increased
number of African children who have asthma.
Risk of urban living
Studies conducted on rural Transkeians have shown that migration to urban and peri-urban settlements
results in a 20 times increased risk of developing asthma symptoms, but asthma is increasing in rural areas.
In Cape Town, Durban and Transkei, grass, cockroaches and cat allergy have been identified as important
trigger factors for asthma respectively.
Aon Employee Benefits
Healthcare
What triggers an Asthma Attack?
The greatest tragedy of asthma is that it is sometimes not recognised and treated, in which case
the patient undergoes needless suffering. The exact cause of the asthmatic process is not well
understood but it is thought to be triggered off by an allergy or when the lungs are irritated by
something in the air.
A viral cold
Allergies
Pollution
Emotions
Drugs
Environmental factors
Occupational hazards
Sports & Exercise
During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swell, causing the airways to narrow and reducing
the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Recurrent asthma symptoms frequently cause sleeplessness,
daytime fatigue, reduced activity levels and school and work absenteeism. Asthma has a relatively low
fatality rate compared to other chronic diseases.
Aon Employee Benefits
Healthcare
How to control Asthma symptoms
Animal dander, house-dust mites, cockroaches, pollens and outdoor moulds, tobacco smoke and indoor
pollens are common asthma triggers.
What action can you take to avoid or eliminate them?
One of the first step in controlling and managing your asthma, is to identify and avoid these triggers.
Asthma allergens can be identified by a skin prick test (SPT) or by a blood test known as the RAST
test. These tests to identify your asthma allergens can be done from an early age. The notion that an infant's
allergens can only truly be identified from the age of three, is not true.
These tests can be done with great benefit on infants of six months.
Some of the ways you can control your asthma are listed below, but bear in mind this is not an exhaustive list
and your doctor will always be the best source of advice.
•
Visit your physician regularly. Asthma control is dependent on receiving the applicable medication
in the correct dose for your personal needs. Not all patients are the same.
•
Check that you know how to use your inhaler properly. Your doctor can help with this. A
surprisingly large amount of asthma sufferers don’t know how to use their devices correctly and suffer
unnecessary discomfort and attacks as a result.
•
Talk to your doctor about an asthma action plan. This will be a set of instructions on how to
manage your asthma in many different scenarios, including during a worsening of the condition.
Appropriate management of asthma can enable people to enjoy a good quality of life. An asthmatic can lead a
full and healthy life if detected early. Healthcare providers educate patients so that they know what to do when
asthma symptoms flare up, except for millions of children who are living with undiagnosed and untreated
asthma. To effectively control asthma, medications must be affordable and available, especially to low-income
families.
One of the strongest risk factors for developing asthma is inhaled asthma triggers like tobacco smoke.
Perhaps we can start by observing World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) this year. Observed around the world
every year on May 31, it is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco
consumption across the globe.
Asthma as a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB)
Asthma is one of 27 Chronic Disease List (CDL) conditions that all medical schemes in South Africa are
required to cover.
DSPs and formularies
Medical schemes typically prescribe the use of designated service providers (DSPs) and medicine
formularies for low-level medical scheme plans.
More expensive plans offer members the freedom to use whichever service providers they choose. Medicine
formularies either don’t apply or are more comprehensive than those for lower-tier medical scheme plans.
Treatment guidelines
Medical schemes offer members access to chronic medication and information via designated service
provider where applicable. The gp’s provide information, prescribe medication and assist in the process of
making sure that the chronic condition is under control.
Aon Employee Benefits
Healthcare
Medical schemes also typically offer defined treatment guidelines. These outline the best possible treatment
protocols and the most appropriate chronic medications for conditions like asthma.
Sources: Cipla, Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), Health24.com, HealthCommunities.com Western
Cape Government, Allergy SA
Aon Employee Benefits Consulting
We focus on Communication and Engagement, across Insurance, Retirement and Health, to Advise and
Deliver solutions that create great Client Impact. We partner with our clients and seek solutions for their most
important people and HR challenges.
Healthcare Consultant and Aon Resolution Centre (ARC)
If you do not get satisfactory assistance from your medical scheme please do not hesitate to contact your
allocated Aon Employee Benefits Healthcare Consultant or the Aon Resolution Centre (ARC) on 0860
835 272.
Please remember to get a reference number from your medical scheme when escalating your query to the
Aon Resolution Centre (ARC).
Medical Scheme Contact Numbers
Bestmed
Bonitas
CAMAF
Commed
CompCare
Discovery Health
Fedhealth
Genesis
Hosmed
KeyHealth
LA Health
0860 002 378
0860 002 108
0860 100 545
0861 311 911
011 208 1010/20
0860 998 877
0860 002 153
0860 102 010
0860 000 048
0860 671 050
0860 103 933
Makoti
Malcor
Medihelp
Medshield
Momentum Health
Liberty Health
Resolution
Sizwe
Spectramed
TopMed
Umvuzo
0860 002 400
011 372 1500
0860 100 678
0860 002 120
0860 117 859
0860 002 163
0861 791 6425
0860 100 871
0861 497 497
0860 002 158
0861 082 084
Connect with us
We have an established presence on social media to engage with our audiences on all matters related to risk
and people.
For more information from Aon Employee Benefits on healthcare, retirement benefits and a wide range of
topics, feel free to go to aon.co.za and:
http://www.facebook.com/Aonhealthcare
Click “Like” on our page (Aon healthcare)
http://twitter.com/Aonhealthcare
Click “follow” on our profile
Aon Employee Benefits - Healthcare