PHOP Prevention strategies for asthma: Primary prevention

1. With conflicting data on early life exposure to pets, no general recommendation can be made with regard to avoiding pets for primary prevention of allergy and asthma. However, families with biparental atopy should avoid having cats or dogs in the home. 2. There are conflicting and insufficient data for physicians to recommend for or against breastfeeding specifically for the prevention of asthma. Due to its numerous other benefits, breastfeeding should be recommended.

Secondary prevention

3. Health care professionals should continue to recommend the avoidance of tobacco smoke in the environment . 4. For patients sensitized to house dust mites, physicians should encourage appropriate environmental control. 5. In infants and children who are atopic, but do not have asthma, data are insufficient for physicians to recommend other specific preventive strategies.

Tertiary prevention

6. Allergens to which a person is sensitized should be identified, and a systematic program to eliminate, or at least to substantially reduce, allergen exposure in sensitized people should be undertaken

CRP Menurut Survei Kesehatan Nasional (Surkesnas) tahun 2001, penyakit saluran napas merupakan penyakit penyebab kematian terbanyak kedua di Indonesia setelah penyakit gangguan pembuluh darah. Di Amerika, 14 sampai 15 juta orang mengidap asma, dan kurang lebih 4,5 juta di antaranya adalah anak-anak. Penyakit ini merupakan salah satu penyakit utama yang menyebabkan pasien memerlukan perawatan, baik di rumah sakit maupun di rumah. Sebagian dari semua kasus asma berkembang sejak masa kanak-kanak, sedangkan sepertiganya pada masa dewasa sebelum umur 40 tahun. Namun demikian, asma dapat dimulai pada segala usia, mempengaruhi pria dan wanita tanpa kecuali, dan bisa terjadi pada setiap orang pada segala etnis (Ikawati, 2006).