Herbal preparations for asthma are highly injurious to the body and can lead to death, while inhalers remain the mainstay of therapy that saves lives, Consultant Paediatrician, Dr Kehinde Fasina, advises.
Fasina, a Consultant Paediatrician, (Pulmonology Division) , at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ibadan, in commemoration of World Asthma Day on Tuesday.
NAN reports that World Asthma Day is commemorated on May 5, annually, with the 2026 theme as “access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma- still an urgent need”.
Fasina stressed that ingesting herbal preparations was highly injurious to the body, while poor control of asthma due to persistent wrong treatment resulted in respiratory failure and ultimately death
She said many patients and caregivers wrongly saw inhalers as stigma or burden, a myth that pushes them toward harmful alternatives like herbs and self medication.
This, she added, led to poor quality of life, absenteeism from school and work, and preventable asthma deaths.
The consultant paediatrician decried the scarcity and high cost of inhaled corticosteroid-containing inhalers in Nigeria.
“These drugs are expensive and unaffordable by many families; these are major contributors to many asthmatic emergencies and asthma deaths,” she said.
The UCH pulmonologist called on the Nigerian government, policymakers, ministries of health and pharmaceutical industry manufacturers and suppliers to ensure inhaled corticosteroids were affordable and available for all those with asthma.
Speaking on the 2026 theme, Fasina said, “ it reinforces that every person with asthma, including most pre-school children, should receive inhaled corticosteroids.
“These inhalers according to the global initiative on Asthma (GINA) reduce the person’s risk of asthma attacks and prevent hospital admissions asthma deaths”.
She emphasised on GINA recommendation of a combination two-in-one inhaler containing both an inhaled corticosteroid and a short-acting reliever.
“Together, they treat the asthma symptoms, prevent asthma attacks, and reduce hospital admissions,” she said.
She noted that bronchial asthma was quite common in Nigeria but its prevalence was underestimated due to underdiagnosis, limited access to healthcare, and the prioritisation of infectious diseases over chronic respiratory conditions.
She explained that children with asthma complained of cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness or noisy breathing called wheeze.
Unlike common cough, Fasina emphasised that asthma cough was usually recurrent and worse at night or when waking up in the morning.
She added that it was associated with wheeziness or chest tightness.
“It is triggered by viral upper respiratory tract infection, aero allergens, irritant fumes and exercise, and worsened by extremes of emotion like laughter or crying, cold dry air and after end-exercise.
“Children aged five years and below present more with recurrent wheezing, but recurrent wheezing does not translate to bronchial asthma.
“There are three diagnostic criteria for asthma in children, recurrent wheezing is one of the criteria, while children can be said to outgrow recurrent wheezing and not allergic bronchial asthma,” Fasina said.
On the common allergens tested and usually positive in the asthma clinic, she said they were house dust mites found in sofas, chairs and rugs.
Others she added were Bloma tropicalis- (found in beddings), dog dander, cat dander, mold species like Aspergillus fumigatus and cockroach.
“Home and work environment triggers include pollens from trees, freshly cut grass, flowers, birds, ozone, which is high where cars are many; sulphur dioxide from oil and coal combustion in industrialised areas.
“Others are tobacco smoke, molds; contaminants from indoor gas combustion such as nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde; fumes, perfumes, and wood smoke,” she said.
Before concluding that asthma medications are not working, Fasina remarked several things must be checked.
She added that there was a need to know if the medication was authentic, oral medication or an inhaled medication, method of administration of inhaled medication.
“There is also a need to know if it’s used as prescribed, the appropriate dose and dose interval.
“If a patient has frequent attacks despite medication, it’s important to know if the medication is oral or an inhaler, is medication administered daily or when necessary?
“Is the dose accurate and given at the right interval? Also, the storage of drug, if the triggers are very much present in the home, school or work environments.
“There is need to know if attempts have been made to reduce or eradicate these triggers,” she said.
She further noted that asthma biologics were not readily available, in Nigeria.
Fasina, therefore, urged asthmatic patients/caregivers to visit the hospital.
“Visit the hospital immediately when the following are observed: shortness of breath or breathing difficulty, noisy breathing or wheezing, fast breathing, chest tightness, or combination of catarrh, cough and fever.
“Asthmatics must avoid triggers mentioned earlier and ensure regular intake of their inhaled medications (corticosteroids-short acting reliever).
“Finally, the roles of health education, counselling should never be overlooked, in the care of asthmatics,” Fasina stressed.
