Paper Topic:

Healthcare

Healthcare Page 1

Asthma has become a threat to the well being of children and adults alike , it has made its presence felt globally . Asthma is a chronic airway dis that can be severe and sometimes fatal , specifically asthma is characterized by difficulty in breathing . People with asthma have extra sensitive or hyper responsive airways . The airways react by narrowing or obstructing when they become irritated . This makes it difficult for the air to move in and out . This narrowing or obstruction can cause one or a combination of the following symptoms

: wheezing coughing , shortness of breath , chest tightness . The narrowing or obstruction of the airways are caused by airway inflammation (meaning that the airways in the lungs become red , swollen and narrow

Bronchoconstriction (meaning that the muscles that encircle the airways tighten or go into spasm . Its prevalence has been reported to be increasing everywhere in the world . Asthma is a considerable burden , not only in terms of health care costs but also of decreased productivity and diminished participation in family life

During the past two decades , we have witnessed many scientific advances that have improved our understanding of asthma and our ability to manage it effectively . Still , the variation of national health care systems and of asthma therapies necessitates that recommendations for asthma care should be adapted to local conditions throughout the global community Saudi Arabia has been one of the nations that had seen an increase in the prevalence of asthma . The country is located in the Middle East bing the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea , north of

Healthcare Page 12

Yemen the terrain is mostly uninhabited sandy dessert . Generally the climate is harsh with a dry desert and with great temperature extremes

Saudi Arabia 's 2005 population is estimated to be about 26 .5 million including about 5 .5 million resident foreigners . Until the 1960s , most of the population was nomadic or semi nomadic due to rapid economic and urban growth , more than 95 of the population now is settled . Some cities and oases have densities of more than 1 ,000 people per square kilometer (2 ,600 /mile (1 . The estimated birth and death rates for 2005 were .29 .56-births /1 ,000 population 2 .62 deaths /1 ,000 population The age structure of the population for the same year is 0-14 years 38 .2 (male 5 ,149 ,960 /female 4 ,952 ,138 , 15-64 years : 59 .4 (male 8 ,992 ,348 /female 6 ,698 ,633 , and 65 years and over : 2 .4 (male 334 ,694 /female 289 ,826 (2

Asthma has been rising in prevalence for the past years in the country and even in different parts of the globe . A study surveying the number of asthma cases among children between the ages of 8 and 16 for a 9-year period revealed that there was a significant increase in the prevalence of bronchial asthma from 8 in 1986 to 23 in 1995 (3 . Moreover another study comparing the symptoms of asthma in urban and rural Saudi...

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