One in ten Bermuda residents suffer from asthma ? but 99 percent of attacks can be prevented with proper treatment, an asthma educator said yesterday.

Asthma nurse and educator Debbie Barboza was speaking at an open house at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to mark World Asthma Day. Asthma, a respiratory disease that affects 12 percent of Bermudians, sends nearly 1,000 people to the emergency ward each year though most of these cases can be prevented, she said.

?It?s terrible because it is treatable,? she said.

The open house featured a display of medicines, both new and old, available to asthma suffers: Some found in tablet form, others in the traditional inhaler form ranging in colours blue, brown and orange.

Regardless of which option is used, educators said that medication must be taken every day, even when no symptoms occur.

?No one should suffer with asthma,? Mrs. Barboza said. ?Ninety-nine percent of it should be controlled. When the right medications are being taken correctly a person can have a much better quality of life.?

Asthma triggers, such as weather, smoke and pollen cannot be avoided in Bermuda, but taking measures to educate yourself and visit your doctor regularly will allow sufferers to take control of their symptoms, she said.