Asthma in Singapore

Asthma in Singapore

                                        Independent Research-Term 2
     Welcome once again to my blog page. Today, we will be talking about Asthma. I'll first start the ball rolling with  explaining what Asthma is.
      Firstly, asthma is a long-term disease known to inflame and narrow the respiratory track, producing extra mucus.Now what problem does this have on us? Asthma patients commonly suffer from breathing difficulties, coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Luckily, for some not so serious cases, life goes on like normal. However, in major circumstances, Asthma may interfere with daily activities like strenuous exercise and couse the infamous asthma attack.

      Sounds like I write too much like a dictionary. Nevertheless, talking about asthma attacks, we shall move on to them. In an attack, the airways linings come under an increased inflammation, which then leads to access mucus production in the airways, further narrowing the passageway. Common triggers for this attack include indoor(like dust mites on beds) and outdoor allergens(like pollen) and tobacco smoke. In fact, a study by the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine shows that Approximately 25% to 35% of individuals with asthma are current smokers! So stop smoking now!
   
    As stated earlier, one cause of asthma attack include outdoor allergens. Well, one of the most common allergens we see now is non other than air pollution! Some may say it's because of the soot

and smoke from the burned source. True, however, I will analyse deeper into what compounds make up the concoction. First up is the particulate matter, which include the common soot and dust, and others like fly ash, diesel exhaust particles, wood smoke and sulfate aerosols. These are tiny particles which are left suspended in the air and can get lodged in the lungs, causing asthma attacks. Another cause is ground level ozone, typically produced when pollution from cars and trucks or industrial smokestacks reacts with oxygen and sunlight. Another is Sulphur Dioxide, commonly produced when coal and crude oil are burned, which is a natural respiratory irritant. Lastly is Nitrogen Oxide, a gas usually emitted from power plants, which contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone and reacts with other air pollutants to form small particles that can cause breathing difficulties.

     Let us stop talking too much on definitions and bringing this issue closer to home. One question you may ask is, how does Singapore tackle asthma right? For the most basic, Singapore provides basic education for asthma patients to let them know what they are in for. They also have frequent mandatory clinical examinations. Major initiatives include researches done by local universities like an ongoing research by A*STAR and NUS to come up with therapeutic DNA vaccines for dust mite allergy and allergic asthma.

So here we have it. Asthma in Singapore.

Credits:
Mayo Clinic
NHS Choices
World Health Organisation
Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Natural Resource Defence Council
Ministry of Health
A*STAR