“About 250,000 Nigerians Die From Asthma Yearly” – Medical Experts

Findings have revealed that no fewer than 250,000 Nigerians die yearly as a result of poor management of Asthma.

This was disclosed in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday, May 5, by the President, Nigeria Society for the Asthmatics, University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan branch, Olusoji Ige and a Consultant Family Physician,  Olufemi Olowookere, during a programme to celebrate the World Asthma Day 2016.

According to them, most of the 250,000 people who die as a result of asthma are grown up adults above the age of 25 years.

The duo, who sympathised with asthma patients across the country, however said the disease can only be controlled, but not cured because no drug has been discovered yet.

Speaking on the theme: “You Can Control Your Asthma”, Ige ,however, enumerated lack of political will and organization of services as some of the challenges facing asthma patients in the country. According to him, a recent research has shown that about 1.5 million Nigerians are suffering from asthma.

He said: “About 1.5 million people in Nigeria are asthmatic patients, though the study is still ongoing but I can tell you that about 1.5 million Nigerians are down with asthma, but out of this, 250,000 die as a result of poor management of asthma.

“We lost 250,000 asthma patients yearly due to poor management; most of them are not using their inhaler and drugs.” Olowookere, in his own contribution maintained that for now, there is still no medicine to cure asthma. He however said with the new technologies in communication level, there is still better life for asthma patients.