Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah Asthma Campaign To Educate Patients with Best Measures

Hey! Do you know that puffing on your reliever inhaler more than 2 times a week could put you at risk of an asthma attack? I’m glad that recently I attended the “Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah” Asthma Awareness Campaign. As my cousin has asthma since young, this is an informative session for me to learn about the latest and best control measures for effective asthma management.

“Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah” Asthma Campaign To Educate Patients with Best Measures

Asthma Malaysia launched the ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’ campaign to raise public awareness on asthma. This was held against the backdrop of World Lung Day 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to empower patients with asthma with knowledge of the best measures to help control their condition. `

The Official Launch of “Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah” Asthma Awareness Campaign at Le Meridien Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Held today in Kuala Lumpur, the campaign was officiated by YBhg. Tan Sri Jemilah Mahmood, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Health and jointly launched with Dr. Helmy Haja Mydin, Consultant Respiratory Physician, and Co-founder of Asthma Malaysia, and Dr. Sanjeev Panchal, Country President, AstraZeneca Malaysia.

The campaign brings together various players from both the medical profession such as Malaysian Thoracic Society (MTS), Family Medicine Specialist Association (FMSA), Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) and the private sector who have the same goal of improving the lives of patients with asthma. These organisations include AstraZeneca Malaysia, AA Pharmacy, BIG Pharmacy, Caring Pharmacy, Alpro Pharmacy, AMPM Pharmacy, HTM Pharmacy, Multicare Pharmacy, Straits Pharmacy, and Wellings Pharmacy.

Asthma is an inflammatory disease that affects as many as 339 million people worldwide. In Malaysia, asthma affects almost two million patients. Adults with respiratory diseases are the second most common cause of death within the Ministry of Health hospitals.

Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Health

A local study Assessing Asthma control level in Primary Care setting (ASCOPE) had revealed that 8 out of 10 patients in clinics are patients with mild asthma. Unfortunately, less than 50% have good overall control of asthma. The presence of COVID-19 is an added concern for those with asthma, as patients with poorly controlled asthma have a higher risk of complications from the viral infection.

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), a medical guidelines organisation for asthma, unveiled their guidelines for asthma management in 2020. These guidelines no longer recommend the use of Short-Acting Beta2-Agonist (SABA) alone to manage asthma symptoms - one of the most significant changes in asthma management over the past 30 years.

In fact, GINA has highlighted the danger of overusing SABA inhalers for patients who consume 3 or more canisters per year. Studies have shown that the use of SABAs in the absence of effective anti-inflammatory treatment has been associated with an increased risk of asthma exacerbations, increased hospital admissions and asthma related-deaths due to increased levels of airway inflammation. Despite the growing evidence against SABA overuse, the practice of excessive over-prescribing and over-reliance of SABA still persists.

To address these concerns, Asthma Malaysia has partnered with a number of professional organisations and private entities to educate the public as well as healthcare professionals on the importance of breaking the chain of SABA over-reliance. The ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’ awareness campaign is one of the pillars of this effort, focusing on public education and empowering individuals to take control of their asthma.

Dr Helmy Haja Mydin, Co-Founder of Asthma Malaysia and Consultant Respiratory Physician

According to Dr Helmy, although there is no cure for asthma, it is a condition that can be well-controlled. Well-controlled asthma is characterized by good symptom management, usage of reliever medication no more than twice a week, having no nocturnal symptoms and no limitation to normal levels of activity. However, due to poor adherence and incorrect use of treatment, only 6% of patients achieve good asthma control.

“This is the first time that GINA has recommended the use of both reliever and controller medication when treating asthma symptoms. This helps the patient feel better, but also starts treating the underlying inflammation at an earlier stage. 

Studies have demonstrated that this approach reduces the risk of severe exacerbations by about two-thirds, compared with SABA only treatment. With these new guidelines in place, it is imperative that we reach out to patients to empower them with this knowledge so that they can better control and manage their condition,” Dr Helmy reiterated further.

Dr Helmy also shared that given the current pandemic, many patients are apprehensive about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their health. He highlighted that this further increases the need for appropriate controller medication to be used by patients in order to reduce the risk of complications.

Besides the ‘Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah’ awareness campaign, AstraZeneca has lent support to other efforts to improve asthma management. These include uplifting the capabilities of healthcare professionals through an on-going series of webinars and PACE (Primary Asthma Care Excellence) programme, an e-learning module and providing the latest patient materials for asthma patients through the Breathe EaSY programme.

“Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah” Asthma Campaign To Educate Patients with Best Measures

Asthma and COVID-19

• People with moderate to severe asthma may be at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. COVID-19 which affects the respiratory system can cause an asthma exacerbation, and possibly lead to pneumonia and acute respiratory disease.

• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GINA released some interim guidelines for asthmatics and physicians to adhere to as below:

• People with asthma should continue all their inhaled medication, including ICS, as prescribed by their doctor.
• In acute asthma attacks, patients should urgently see their healthcare provider to prevent escalation of the condition.
• Nebulisers should, where possible, be avoided for acute attacks due to the increased risk of disseminating COVID-19 (to other patients and to physicians, nurses and other health personnel).

• Pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) via a spacer is the preferred treatment during severe attacks (spacers must not be shared at home).

• While a patient is being treated for a severe attack, their maintenance inhaled asthma treatment should be continued (at home and in the hospital).

• Patients with allergic rhinitis should continue to take their nasal corticosteroids, as prescribed by their clinician.
• Routine spirometry testing should be suspended to reduce the risk of viral transmission, and if necessary, adequate infection control measures should be taken.

For more information and update about “Kawal Lelah Sebelum Parah” Asthma Campaign To Educate Patients with Best Measures, please visit Asthma Malaysia Facebook Page