18. 18
Although Islamic rules state that people with long-
term conditions such as asthma are permitted not to
fast, some Muslims with asthma still choose to fast
during Ramadan and many may consider using an
inhaler to be breaking their fast.
19. 19
In a Muslim population, the patients with asthma and
COPD do not feel their diseases to be an inhibitory
factor for fasting during Ramadan
In one survey, only 42% of the patients were found to
adhere to their usual treatment, while the remaining
patients either stopped or changed their drug intake
pattern while fasting during Ramadan.
.
20. 20
A project was undertaken, at Barts Health, to determine
medication usage in theTower Hamlets Muslim
population during Ramadan.
The results were quite alarming:
It was found that 23% of patients did not take their
medication at all during the holy month, and a further
48% doubled their evening dose to compensate for
medicines normally taken twice a day.
21. 21
Doubling the dose of twice-daily medication or omitting
a dose altogether could in some cases cause severe
adverse effects and is an important point to consider
when prescribing or counselling this group of patients.
22. 22
if when you're fasting , you choose not to take your
medicines exactly as prescribed (for example, if you
stop using your inhaler(s) because you believe that
using an inhaler would break your fast or you use
them at different times to the prescribed times), this
can cause your symptoms to get worse.
23. 23
In fact, stopping your medicines can cause your asthma
symptoms to return and increase your risk of a life-
threatening asthma attack.
If you are not allowed to drink liquids during your fast,
be aware that dehydration can dry the airways and
may make your asthma worse.
25. 25
Muslim experts have differing opinions on this issue.
Some say that using an asthma inhaler isn’t the same as
eating or drinking, and is therefore permissible during
fasting.
According to this view, asthmatics may fast and use
their inhalers whenever required during fasting.
26. 26
However, other scholars say that the inhaler provides
small amounts of liquid medicine to the lungs, so it
breaks the fast.
They say that people with poor control of their
asthma must not fast until good control is achieved.
Some people with asthma may opt for longer-acting
inhalers so that they can fast.
27. 27
If asthma medication is required as treatment for a short
illness, you can compensate for missed fasts by fasting on
other days when you are well.
Those who are unable to carry out the missed fasts
later, due to the long-term use of medication, should do
fidyah.
Fidyah is a method of compensation for a missed act of
worship, such as paying for someone to be fed
54. 54
According to the scecond view, If your disease is
unstable or poorly controlled & such medication needs
to be taken during the time of fasting, you are advised
not to fast.
If medication is required on a long-term basis as part of an
ongoing illness or condition such as high blood pressure
or diabetes, then you may discuss with your GP to change
your medication to a long acting variety as appropriate, to
enable you to take it outside the time of the fast.
57. 57
Adjustment of the drug doses seems to be a way of using
medications for fasting patients , therefore, the most
common adjustments are taking a single daily dose and
two in allowed eating times
The majority of these patients adjusted to use their
controller inhaled medications in ‘‘sahur’’ and ‘‘iftar’’ times
during the month of Ramadan.
This approach seems to be reasonable when compared to
the hazardous alternative of quitting all the drugs.
.
58. 58
However, it is of interest whether the efficacy of the
drugs differs when they are used in this way.
In the traditional approach, inhaled steroids other
than ciclesonid and mometasone are recommended
twice daily with 12 h apart. .
59. 59
The interval between the ‘‘iftar’’ and ‘‘sahur’’ differs according
to the season of Ramadan month corresponded , It is longer
than 12 h during summer months whereas a shorter period
for fasting is available during winter months.
Based on data about pharmacokinetics & pharmacodynamics
of inhaled steroids ,this type of recommendations is not
expected to have a change in efficacy of inhaled steroids
in asthma.
60. 60
Other maintenance treatment options of anti-leukotriens
or theophyllines are available in the form of once daily
use which allows them to be used confidently in fasting.
A recent study recommended to use a long acting
formulation of teophylline taken once daily in order to
reduce side-effects in asthmatic patients during Ramadan.
.
.
61. 61
Taken together, all inhaled asthma medications used in
iftar and sahur times are not expected to decrease the
efficacy of the drugs and this way seems to be acceptable
for patients who do not want to use their drugs during
fasting hours.
The use of controller treatment in ‘‘iftar’’ and ‘‘sahur’’
times of the Ramadan month allow subjects to use their
medications without any interruption of the treatment.
.
.
62. 62
In patients with asthma who prefer not to use inhalers
during fasting hours, one should consider switching to a
regimen of a long-acting beta-2 agonist and a twice-daily
inhaled corticosteroid dose prior to and after the fast.
Actually, considering the fact that quitting the medications
during fasting can cause much more harmful effects on
disease activity, this advice seems to be a reasonable
approach for better disease control.
63. 63
Even if you don't plan to use your inhalers during the
fasting period, always carry your reliever inhaler (usually
blue) with you at all times in case of an emergency.
If you have adjusted your medicines for fasting and you
begin to feel worse, please see your doctor or as soon
as you can.
64. 64
A considerable proportion of patients with chronic
illness change their medication regimens during fasting
without asking their physician .
Therefore, appropriate advice from doctors during
Ramadan may encourage patients to continue their
treatments and prevent major health issues.
65. 65
Ramadan an occasion to educate patients:
Smoking is bad for your health and Ramadan is a great
opportunity to change unhealthy habits, including smoking
Informing people about the dangers of smoking and other
addicting habits and helping them to quit during this
month should be one of our concerns.
68. 68
Treatment of Asthma in Holy Ramadan
for Muslim
• Long term inhalers like salmeterol ,formoterol, ICS ,
and other daily preventive medications are prescribed
only twice /day which is convenient to your fasting
when stable Asthma
• You are authorised and even recommended not to fast
during exacerbation because you are ill or sick (Surat
Al- Baqarah in the Holy Quran)
• Take the opportunity to quit smoking in Ramadan