Introduction:

Chronic asthma is a respiratory disease that causes inflammation and constriction of the airways, making
breathing difficult, particularly when exhaling [1]. Coughing, wheezing, and dyspnea are common symptoms
that can be exacerbated by environmental factors, viral infections, and allergens [2]. About 339 million
individuals worldwide are impacted by it and older adults account for a significant portion of the fatalities.
Asthma prevalence varies from 1 percent to 18 percent worldwide and has been rising according to the
Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) [3]. About 8 point 7 percent of Sudanese people are affected which is
more than twice the 4 point 3 percent global average. Excluding cases related to pregnancy and delivery
asthma ranks third among the nation's causes of hospitalization after pneumonia and malaria [4].

About 10% of young people in the U. S. suffer from asthma. s. and 36% worldwide making it the most
prevalent chronic illness affecting kids and teenagers [5]. Higher rates of occurrence—between 10% and 19%
—affect medical students which may hurt their attendance and academic standing [6][7]. Though there is
little information available about medical students in Sudan, 67 percent of adult workers and students in
Elobeid report having asthma symptoms, which is less than in the capital. Wheezing is the most common
symptom reported by 96% of patients followed by dyspnea (76% of patients) [8]. These symptoms may
worsen academic performance and lead to higher absenteeism rates [7].

Several factors significantly reduce students' academic achievement, including low socioeconomic status
(SES), gender, higher absenteeism, and minority status [9]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) states that asthma is a major cause of school absences. This is linked to poorer academic achievement
as well as difficulties adjusting psychologically, socially, and educationally [10_9]. Students who miss school
frequently tend to do worse on reading and math assessments, receive lower grades, have lower GPAs and
have difficulty on important tests at both lower and upper secondary education levels [11]. Inadequate
asthma management also negatively impacts academic performance and increases absenteeism. Effective
asthma management is necessary to maintain school attendance because research shows that children with
well-managed asthma miss fewer days of school and have lower absenteeism rates than those with poorly
managed conditions [12].

A good self-management program is necessary for individuals with asthma to feel empowered to control
their condition. To give important information about asthma these programs should incorporate both
interactive and non-interactive techniques [13]. Success requires both a strong foundation in behavior
change theory and the application of strategies that increase participants' levels of self-efficacy and
knowledge competence [14]. Raising public awareness of public health issues can also help with the early
identification and treatment of student cases of asthma [15].

Limited research has been done on the impact of asthma on academic performance in Sudanese medical
students. This study aims to assess the prevalence of asthma and its effect on the academic performance of
medical students at the University of Khartoum. To enhance the educational experience of asthmatic
students and help them realize their maximum potential the research endeavors to determine the
prevalence and examine the consequences to provide guidance for focused interventions and assistance
programs.

References:
1. What is asthma? (no date) NHLBI, NIH. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/asthma (Accessed:
September 11, 2024).

2. Hashmi, M. F. and Cataletto, M. E. (2024) Asthma. StatPearls Publishing.

3. Alomary, S. A. et al. (2022) “Prevalence of asthma symptoms and associated risk factors among adults in
Saudi Arabia: A national survey from Global Asthma Network Phase Ⅰ,” The World Allergy Organization
journal, 15(1), p. 100623. doi: 10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100623.

4. Thomson, R., Noor, M. and Elsony, A. (2021) “Applying an ecological framework to examine the multiple
levels of influence affecting the utilisation of private sector adult asthma services in Khartoum, Sudan: a
mixed methods study,” F1000Research, 9(1227), p. 1227. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.25417.2.

5. Caulfield, J. I. (2021) “Anxiety, depression, and asthma: New perspectives and approaches for
psychoneuroimmunology research,” Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, 18(100360), p. 100360. doi:
10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100360.

6. Bealy, M. A. B. et al. (no date) “Asthma and its associated triggering factors among medical students,”
Saudi journal of pathology and microbiology. doi: 10.36348/sjpm.2020.v0i.00.

7. Alsilmi, R. A. et al. (no date) Impact of bronchial asthma on medical student attendance, Ekb.eg. Available
at: https://journals.ekb.eg/article_262202_a6b4552b65b2c6283cb65dbf28432424.pdf (Accessed: September
11, 2024).

8. Musa, O., Magzoub, A. and Elsony, A. (2011) “Prevalence of asthma symptoms in adult university students
and workers in Elobeid – West Sudan,” European Respiratory Journal, 38(Suppl 55), p. 4135. Available at:
http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p4135.abstract.

9. Moonie, S. et al. (2008) “The relationship between school absence, academic performance, and asthma
status,” The Journal of school health, 78(3), pp. 140–148. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00276.x.

10. Us Epa, O. (2014) “The importance of asthma and health programs in improving academic performance.”
Available at: https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/importance-asthma-and-health-programs-improving-
academic-performance (Accessed: September 11, 2024).

11. Klein, M. and Sosu, E. (2024) “School absences, academic achievement, and adolescents’ post-school
destinations,” Oxford review of education, pp. 1–18. doi: 10.1080/03054985.2024.2308520.

12. Toyran, M. et al. (2020) “Asthma control affects school absence, achievement and quality of school life: a
multicenter study,” Allergologia et immunopathologia, 48(6), pp. 545–552. doi: 10.1016/j.aller.2020.05.005.

13. Maulood, K. B. et al. (2023) “Assessing the impact of health education intervention on asthma knowledge,
attitudes, and practices: A cross-sectional study in Erbil, Iraq,” Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 11(13), p.
1886. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11131886.

14. (No date) Bvsalud.org. Available at: https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/emr-189202

(Accessed: September 11, 2024).
15. Carvalho Coelho, A. C. et al. (2016) “The impacts of educational asthma interventions in schools: A
systematic review of the literature,” Canadian respiratory journal: journal of the Canadian Thoracic Society,
2016, pp. 1–14. doi: 10.1155/2016/8476206.