World Asthma Day (May 5, 2009) is being organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world. This year's theme is "You Can Control Your Asthma".
The Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) places the number of asthma-related deaths worldwide at 250 000 per year and the number of asthma sufferers at 300 million. The number of asthma sufferers is on the rise, including in Europe.
Most available epidemiological information derives from large multicenter studies such as ECRHS (European Community Respiratory Health Survey) and ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood).
Asthma often runs in families, but there are risk factors such as outdoor or indoor environmental exposure that can be reduced. Differences in socioeconomic status and access to healthcare (e.g. the existence or not of a national management plan), lifestyle and diet may also play a role.
The EU has included respiratory and allergic diseases among the chronic diseases for which research is to be funded under the 7th Framework Programme (e.g. U-BIOPRED, HITEA). DG Health and Consumers is supporting studies, such as HESEINT – to investigate the effects of indoor pollutants on health, including asthma – and IMCA – to create indicators to monitor asthma in the EU. IMCA could also contribute to the respiratory health modules in the future European Health Examination Survey.
All actions are welcome to increase the public and decision makers' awareness of the plight of asthma sufferers and the need to better control the disease.
