Experts insist on finding right fit, taking safe mask breaks to asthma patients

Mumbai: For 65-year-old Khar resident Madhuri Kanga, who is asthmatic for nearly seven years, wearing N95 mask in the deadly second wave of Covid-19 was a necessity to protect herself from the virus. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago conducted an online survey of 501 adults with asthma and found that 84% experienced discomfort, and 75% reported trouble breathing or shortness of breath at least a little of the time while wearing a mask “For people with asthma, there is a kind of insecurity associated with breathing. “Patients who have not been taking proper medications and who don’t have their asthma in control, face the most difficulties adapting to masks,” said chest physician Dr Prashant Chhajed from Santacruz based Lung Care and Sleep Centre, who has been treating Kanga for the past few years. Experts insist on finding right fit, taking safe mask breaks to asthma patients Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago conducted an online survey of 501 adults with asthma and found that 84% experienced discomfort, and 75% reported trouble breathing or shortness of breath at least a little of the time while wearing a mask. The University of Illinois Chicago study team highlighted the need of taking mask breaks, as they found more symptoms associated with a longer duration of wearing masks.