A Professor of Medicine at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Professor Olufunke Olayinka Adeyeye, has disclosed that no fewer than 13 million Nigerians are living with asthma, a chronic respiratory disease that she says remains largely neglected within the country’s healthcare system.

Adeyeye made the disclosure while delivering the 118th Inaugural Lecture of the university titled: “Breath in Bondage: Breaking the Yoke of Asthma with Knowledge and Action.”

According to the professor, bronchial asthma, a common chronic illness, is frequently misdiagnosed and under-prioritised in Nigeria despite its potentially life-threatening nature.

She noted that poor management and lack of awareness have worsened the burden of the disease on patients and their families.

“Asthma, when neglected or poorly managed, as is too often the case in our environment, becomes a yoke that restricts the physical, emotional, social, and economic well-being of its victims, robbing them of dignity and freedom and limiting their potential. It is a clinical diagnosis with profound effects, exerting emotional, social, and economic burden on individuals, families, and communities,” she said.

Highlighting the challenge of misdiagnosis, Adeyeye said asthma often goes unnoticed or is mistaken for other ailments in many Nigerian health facilities.

“In Nigeria, asthma is frequently unseen, misjudged, or ignored. It is a disease that wears many disguises: The persistent ‘catarrh’ that never resolves, the ‘chest pain’ dismissed in overburdened clinics, the child who coughs all night but is told to ‘drink hot water and sleep’, or at best wear another layer of clothing to prevent exposure to cold. The adult with nocturnal cough and breathlessness is often misdiagnosed and treated for heart failure.

“There is a widespread failure to recognise and respond to asthma as the chronic, potentially life-threatening respiratory condition that it is.”

She explained that the lecture’s theme symbolises the experience of asthma patients who often struggle with breathlessness and chest tightness.

“The metaphor ‘breath in bondage’ vividly captures the experience of asthma sufferers — the sensation of breathlessness, chest tightness and the struggle to breathe they experience. It evokes the image of being restrained, restricted, or even suffocated, as they fight for each breath,” she said.

Adeyeye cited earlier studies indicating that about 13 million Nigerians are affected by asthma, noting that prevalence varies across regions depending on urbanisation, pollution and access to healthcare.

“Asthma is responsible for about 1,000 deaths each day. Though often manageable, asthma can be life-threatening without appropriate diagnosis and treatment,” she said.

The professor also pointed to the stigma surrounding asthma as another major barrier to effective management.

“Individuals with asthma are often labelled as weak, overprotected, or attention-seeking. Adolescents may feel embarrassed using inhalers in public. In some communities, asthma is attributed to spiritual or cultural causes, further delaying proper medical care,” she explained.

To tackle the growing burden of asthma and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), Adeyeye recommended stronger public health interventions, including integrating asthma care into Nigeria’s national NCD strategy.

“There is a need to implement the WHO package of essential non-communicable (PEN) disease interventions for primary health care,” she said.

She also called for improved access to diagnosis through the availability of tools such as peak flow meters, spirometers, FeNO machines and other biomarkers of inflammation.

Adeyeye further advocated the establishment of school-based asthma programmes, including screening during enrolment, training teachers and caregivers on asthma emergencies, and implementing asthma-friendly school policies to reduce stigma.

She urged government authorities to support postgraduate training and research in pulmonology to address the shortage of specialists in the country.

“The government should support postgraduate training and research in pulmonology, where we presently have few trainees, and encourage operational and translational research on asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases focusing on locally relevant interventions,” she added.