In Bermuda, almost everyone knows someone with asthma. Even higher are the numbers of people you know, but didn't know were asthmatic.

Twelve percent of the population suffers with the disease, that's roughly 7,200 of us. And, according to a spokesperson for the Bermuda Hospitals Board, the Emergency Ward at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) treats approximately 1,400 cases of asthma-related complaints annually.

Of these about 100 have to be admitted as in-patients each year.

While that figure is significant, a BHB spokesperson said it is lower than it was before 1995. Why? Because in 1994 asthma nurse specialist Liz Boden began offering asthma education and, in 1995, KEMH began an asthma education programme.

May has been designated Asthma Awareness Month and as such Body & Soul will feature articles throughout the month on the disease and how local people are managing it. The theme this year is: The Goal is Control.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition in which airways in the lungs narrow and breathing becomes difficult. It can be severe as patients need good supplies of oxygen to survive.

A narrowing of the air passages results in less oxygen being available to the body. Typically the air passages in asthmatics are very sensitive to triggers, like dust, cold, certain plant pollens and various scents. When stimulated by a trigger the airways over-react with abnormal inflammation. This leads to an overproduction of mucous and swelling. It also causes the muscles of the air passages to contract resulting in less air flow through them. Symptoms are reversible and may re-occur hours after a first attack.

What are the symptoms?

Wheezing – the sound of air passing through a restricted airway, is often an indication of an asthma attack. In mild attacks the person may have only slight difficulty breathing or this may be coupled with wheezing.

In severe attacks person has significant difficulty breathing and require extra muscles to breathe. Wheezing may be increased or absent altogether. When an asthma attack leads to respiratory failure there is no wheezing. The person has severe difficulty breathing and does not respond to medication.