World Asthma Day will take place on 6 May next. This chronic inflammatory respiratory disease is caused by an abnormal reactivity to environmental substances known as “allergens,” since they are liable to provoke an allergic reaction or irritation of the respiratory tract (pollutants, mites, pollens, etc.). It is characterised by recurrent attacks during which the lining of the bronchi swells, causing them to become narrower, and reducing the volume of air inhaled and exhaled.

The number of people with asthma has doubled in the last ten years. According to the latest figures issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last November, 235 million people currently suffer from this disease worldwide. Asthma, which is common in children, remains under-diagnosed and under-treated according to WHO. Nearly 250,000 people die prematurely from this condition annually.