CMRI Kolkata launches their state of the art, ‘ Severe Asthama Clinic’
Saikat Kumar Basu –
The CMRI, Kolkata successfully launched their ‘Severe Asthma Clinic’ at 2 pm on 7th May 2024, on the World Asthma Day. This is the first state-of-the-art severe asthma clinic in the hospital which is at par with global standards, providing world-class asthma treatment using latest technologies that are used globally to detect early stages of asthma or lung disorders as well as chronic asthma cases and offer step wise asthma management plans as per Global Initiative of Asthma (GINA) guidelines.
The gala launch was followed by a panel discussion on the effects of Air Pollution. A one-on-one interaction with Dr Raja Dhar, (Director & HOD – Pulmonology Department, CMRI) was arranged for the press after the session.
The Severe Asthma Clinic offers step wise asthma management plans as per the Global Initiative of Asthma (GINA) guidelines, including personalised care plans offering advanced therapies like biologics with close supervision during administration by respiratory nurse & ongoing support to manage their asthma more efficiently. At the clinic, there will be proper training on inhaler techniques, identification of co-morbidities such as Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) through advanced sleep lab, Bronchiectasis & ABPA through HRCT scans and serologic markers, identifying atopic status by skin prick test, reconfirmation of degree of severity of asthma through advanced lung function lab, dietary advice, psychological counselling and checking compliance to therapies with each visit.
“Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Severe asthma is that form of the disease that is difficult to control and often requires emergency care and hospitalization. Patients suffering from severe asthma face daily struggles with their breathing, leading to a decreased quality of life and significant health care costs. The establishment of a severe asthma clinic will serve as a centralized hub for these patients to receive comprehensive care from a team of dedicated health care professionals,” Dr Beauty Biswas, Consultant – Pulmonology, CMRI said.
The launch was followed by a panel discussion where eminent panelists spoke about the effect of air pollution on lungs and how asthma occurs.
Talking about whether one can clinically measure the effect of pollutants on our lungs, Dr Arup Halder, Consultant – Pulmonology, CMRI, said, “Air pollution not only causes asthma, but also intensifies asthma symptoms as various pollutants take multiple pathways to trigger asthmatic tendencies. As polluted air is a mixture of harmful elements, the combination of these elements has a multiplier effect on one’s lungs. If one has information about the harmful effects of each pollutant on lungs, then one can formulate diagnostic methods to implicate air pollution directly to pathological changes in lungs. Since we do not have such facilities at present, we cannot measure the effect of pollution clinically on human bodies and hence, have to depend heavily on epidemiological studies only.”
The need for a severe asthma clinic has risen as India has one of the highest cases of asthma in the world. According to the findings of Global Burden of Disease Report 2021 published by Lancet, India has about 38 million asthmatics. The total number of asthmatics throughout the world is 340 million. India accounts for about 10% of the global burden of asthma.
Speaking about the importance of spreading awareness on asthma and launch of Severe Asthma Clinic, Dr Raja Dhar, Director & HOD – Pulmonology Department, CMRI said, “Out of every 100 people dying from asthma across the world, 43 are from India. The latest Lancet report shows that 80% of asthma in India remains undiagnosed, while 70% of those who are diagnosed do not receive proper treatment. We chose World Asthma Day for the launch of Severe Asthma Clinic as it is the day when we try to spread awareness about the disease. So, let us join hands and try and control this deadly disease so that India can breathe easier on World Asthma Day.”
“This is the first state-of-the-art Severe Asthma Clinic, housed in a hospital in West Bengal, equipped with the latest technologies to diagnose and detect lung problems and prevent the occurrence of asthma. We are hopeful that in the coming years, we will be able to bring down the mortality rate of patients dying from chronic asthma related problems,” said Sombrata Roy, Unit Head, CMRI.
Shri Saikat Kumar Basu,Indo-Canadian Scientist reports on the gala CMRI Kolkata launching of their ‘ Severe Asthma Centre’
