A recent study published in The Lancet found that millions of adolescents across Africa may have undiagnosed asthma, a condition that affects the lungs and can cause difficulties in breathing. The study focused on six African countries and discovered that 12 percent of adolescents had severe asthma symptoms, but 80 percent had not been diagnosed by a health expert. Many adolescents with a diagnosis were not using medication to control their symptoms due to a lack of awareness and understanding of asthma therapies.
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects 262 million people worldwide and can be triggered by various factors including pollution, weather changes, and genetics. In Africa, about 119 million people were estimated to be suffering from asthma in 2010, with high rates of asthma cases in urban areas due to rapid urbanization and pollution. The climate crisis is also believed to be contributing to the increase in asthma cases globally, with vulnerable children being exposed to dust and wildfires.
Although asthma cases in Africa have been increasing, many go undetected and untreated due to poor knowledge of the condition, high costs of treatment, and limited access to healthcare. Asthma is ideally managed through short-acting inhalers or long-term preventive therapies, but in many African countries, cases are treated on a crisis-by-crisis basis. High costs of treatment and economic challenges, particularly in countries like Nigeria, make it difficult for individuals to access necessary medication.
To address the underdetection and undertreatment of asthma in Africa, researchers are calling for increased investment in asthma treatments, particularly in long-term care options. Greater awareness of asthma among adolescents, as well as increased access to healthcare services in urban areas, could help in detecting and managing asthma cases more effectively. Controlling air quality in cities is also crucial to reducing the number of asthma cases, as pollution and environmental factors play a significant role in triggering asthma symptoms.
In the long run, governments and healthcare providers need to focus on providing affordable and accessible asthma care to ensure that adolescents with asthma receive proper treatment and support. Investing in asthma medications and diagnostics, as well as negotiating subsidies with drug manufacturers, could help in making treatment more affordable and accessible to those in need. Raising awareness about asthma and implementing screening programs in schools could also help in identifying and supporting adolescents with asthma, ultimately improving their quality of life and reducing the burden of the disease in African countries.
