Event underscores the significance of managing and addressing asthma effectively

Asthma is a widespread chronic respiratory condition that has a significant influence on patients' lives; nonetheless, many misunderstandings regarding asthma persist among the general public.

A disease awareness promotion event, led by the Shanghai Municipal Center for Health Promotion and co-hosted by Sanofi and Shanghai Daily, was held earlier this week to highlight the scientific link between type 2 inflammation and asthma management.

On May 6, the 27th World Asthma Day was observed under the theme "Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible for ALL". A pop-up exhibition was held at the Shanghai Jing'an Kerry Center, attracting public attention and allowing them to learn about common knowledge and misconceptions about the condition.

Some people believe that asthma is a minor condition that can be treated with emergency medicine during a flare-up. Such beliefs may result in long-term neglect of asthma sufferers' health management, or worse, aggravation.

It is estimated that China has over 60 million asthma sufferers, including 45.7 million over the age of 20 and around 15 million teenagers, with the incidence rate increasing in recent years.

Around 55 to 70 percent of asthma patients have poor control, and severe attacks could endanger their lives; around 90 percent of severe asthma patients are associated with type 2 inflammation.

One of the primary goals of the Health China 2030 blueprint is to reduce the incidence and mortality rate from asthma. The "Severe Asthma Index" compiled by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies was released at the event, which shows that the overall scoring of China's severe asthma prevention and control measures has exceeded the average level of OECD countries, as well as the average level of policy context, access, and care coverage.

The Chinese Thoracic Society's asthma working group has revised China's standard guideline for the prevention and control of bronchial asthma five times since 2003, significantly improving asthma prevention and treatment in China, according to Professor Zhang Min, director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Shanghai General Hospital.

The measure includes samples from 43 OECD and BRICS countries, with China ranking at 68 points, indicating remarkable development in recent years in terms of diagnostic and treatment choices. The Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies brought together hundreds of healthcare and respiratory illness experts, as well as academics, to create the index, which is a data-driven tool.

It aims to enable governments to investigate country variance and gaps in care in order to drive policy action to meet the unmet needs of people with severe asthma. Zhang noted that failure to control asthma symptoms would result in acute exacerbations, higher medication doses, decreased lung function, and limits in everyday activities.

Poor illness control can be attributed to a variety of causes, including poor drug adherence, ineffective treatment regimens, insufficient patient education, environmental factors, limited medical resources, and others.

Zhang also encourages people to enhance their respiratory health and employ a multifaceted approach that combines proper physical exercise with routine diagnosis and therapy to help control asthma.

Moderate physical activity combined with respiratory modification can improve lung function and mood, making it appropriate for those with chronic respiratory diseases, she said.

The Global Initiative for Asthma, a medical guidelines organization, has based its recommendations and guidelines on the presence or absence of type 2 inflammation in individuals with asthma, and Zhang explained that identifying type 2 inflammation will be a significant breakthrough in the future, particularly for patients with severe asthma.

Those with type 2 inflammation are more vulnerable to environmental variables such as seasonal temperature fluctuations and an increase in the amount of airborne allergens, and they are frequently accompanied by co-morbidities including atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, she added.

Targeted therapies addressing etiology of asthma have emerged as a major direction in asthma treatment, with the goal of stabilizing the illness, reducing the number of attacks, and improving quality of life.

Shen Ke, deputy editor-in-chief of Shanghai Daily, noted, "We are delighted to join hands with Sanofi to build a scientific, authoritative and heartwarming health communication platform for the public, and we hope that through the presentation of diverse content and immersive interactive exhibition, we can further enhance the scientific knowledge of asthma among all sectors of the society.

"This could help to contribute to the Health China 2030 blueprint by allowing more people to gain appropriate knowledge of the disease."

Xian Ji, general manager of Sanofi Specialty Care China, stated: "In recent years, immuno-inflammatory disorders characterized by type 2 inflammation have increased. Since entering the Chinese market more than 40 years ago, Sanofi has been patient-centered and devoted to exploring scientific miracles, revolutionizing treatment practices, and expediting the launch of revolutionary therapies.

"We will continue to join hands with various stakeholders to promote the accurate and standardized diagnosis and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases in a comprehensive and innovative way, and enhancing public awareness of the disease through health education in order to make unremitting efforts to brighten up the lives of Chinese patients."