Asthma: Addressing Attitudes

By: ETHAN DIZERENS

Relationships Between Self Esteem and Asthma

Following a study in Selangor, Malaysia, the impact of self-stigma on asthma control in Malaysian adults was investigated. The results of the experiment alluded that frequent emergency room visits, high self-stigma and low self-esteem in asthma patients becomes more apparent with poor asthma control. This is because patients affected by asthma are often judged, mocked, or disregarded, so the asthma worsens along with their self-confidence in their ability to access healthcare. This shows an inverse relationship between the two, and emphasises how this blatant issue still affects asthma patients to this day. 

What Asthma Is vs. Misconceptions 

Asthma is usually presented as harmless and a naturally disappearing disease. People dealing with asthma are commonly misinterpreted by people to be weak and not suited for physical activity. This cannot be farther from the truth. Affected patients with asthma are encouraged by medical professionals to improve lung function and aid in weight control. Asthma is different for every person and while it is mostly contracted at a young age, it develops with the enlargement of lungs or the development of the immune system. A single reaction could be life-threatening, and it should not be widely represented as a casual condition people have to get out of gym class. 

Treatment That Exists 

While treatment for asthma consists of personal use items like inhalers or tablets, there is no set cure. The use of inhalers poses an environmental issue, as propellants creating a whiff of medicine needed to be inhaled is a greenhouse gas, and is thousands more times more intense than carbon dioxide. The disposal of said treatment also poses a contribution to the ongoing overpopulation of plastic in the worlds’ natural environments which can cause irreversible damages to our planet. Instead of relying solely on physical solutions, we should focus on educating the general public to be more accepting and considerate to those struggling with asthma. This will only create freedom for people affected with asthma, and allow them to choose the best choice of treatment for them and their lifestyles.

Sources:

5 Myths about asthma. (2021, May 4). Allergy & Asthma Network. https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/news/myths-about-asthma/

Ahmad, S., Ismail, A. I., Zim, M. a. M., & Ismail, N. E. (2020). Assessment of Self-Stigma, Self-Esteem, and asthma Control: A preliminary Cross-Sectional study among adult asthmatic patients in Selangor, Malaysia. Frontiers in Public Health, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00420

How inhalers affect the environment. (2023, February 15). Asthma + Lung UK. https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/asthma/how-inhalers-affect-environment#:~:text=Some%20inhalers%20use%20a%20gas,more%20powerful%20than%20carbon%20dioxide.

Sidhu, G. S., Garg, K., & Chopra, V. (2023). Stigma and self-esteem in patients of bronchial asthma. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease. Pulmonary Series/Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease/Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease. Cardiac Series. https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2023.2711

What is asthma? | NHLBI, NIH. (2024, April 17). NHLBI, NIH. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/asthma