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-- Global Allergy Epidemic
Global Allergy Epidemic
Just watched a documentary on the local television, and couldn't help but realize how many people I know that have at least some kind of allergy to something.
Allergies are on the rise. But what can be done to reverse the trend and what are the sources of the problem? I decided to google this, but had a tough time finding quickly a relevant article - isnt this an important issue?
http://www.allergysa.org/pdfs/world...report-2008.pdf
quote:
Abstract: It is widely recognized that the incidence of allergies and
allergic diseases is on the rise globally. As an international umbrella
organization for regional and national allergy and clinical immunology
societies, the World Allergy Organization is at the forefront of a
combined united effort across nations and organizations to address
this global concern by promoting the science of allergy and clinical
immunology, and advancing exchange of information.
The World Allergy Organization�s State of World Allergy Reports
will provide a biennial reviewof allergic diseases worldwide, consider
their medical and socioeconomic contexts, and propose effective
approaches to addressing these problems.
In this first State of World Allergy Report 2008, experts from
different regions of the world have attempted to
define the extent of the global allergy problem, examine recent trends, and provide a
framework for the collaboration among world medicine, science, and
government agencies that is needed to address the rapidly developing
issues associated with allergy and allergic diseases.
What may have begun as a crucial species-protecting
immune defense against parasites in humans is now
ironically responsible for one of the most common maladies,
allergy, which contributes to massive deficits in quality of life
and, in some cases, length of life.
Allergy represents an immune programming error.
Immunoglobulin E is normally protective against many parasites,
but can also cause the release of histamine and other
chemical mediators on exposure to otherwise benign proteins
present in airborne pollens, molds, animal danders, and food.
Does immunoglobulin E confuse the complex DNA code in
these proteins with those of its primary target, parasites?
Evolutionary adaptationists argue that the human immune system
may be calibrated to a certain parasitic load: when that parasite
burden decreases as society eliminates parasitosis through
public health measures, the immune system may become
excessively sensitive and respond defensively to harmless
substances because of a state of confusion. Exacerbated by an
increased exposure to sensitizing allergens, this confusion is
manifested through allergic diseases such as asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis,
atopic eczema, urticaria, and anaphylaxis.
The current scientific consensus is that higher standards
of hygiene may deprive the developing immune response
of important immunologic signals during the period from
birth to six years, signals that are important for steering the
lifelong direction of the immune system response. This
hygiene hypothesis, Holgate1 argues, Bbest accommodates
the link between allergy and social class, the urban to rural
gradient, infant diet, overuse of antibiotics, and the East toWest
gradient of disease.[
Thus, in the zeal to improve standards of health and
reduce infectious disease, the world may be discovering that
improved living conditions along with the rapid industrialization
of developing nations and a changing world climate present
opportunities, challenges, and complexities for human
health that have never before been considered. Allergic
diseases are increasing in prevalence worldwide and are now
the most frequent reasons patients seek medical care. Allergies
are also becoming more complex, and patients frequently have
multiple allergic disorders. Even the less severe allergic diseases
can have a major adverse effect on the health of hundreds
of millions of patients and diminish quality of life and
work productivity. Allergy is a major problem for the 21st
century, and this problem is predicted to worsen as this century
moves forward.
As the incidence of allergy and associated diseases has
increased, the number of health care professionals trained in the
diagnosis and treatment of allergy has decreased. As a result,
untold numbers of patients go undiagnosed or are undertreated.
Many developing countries have few or no allergy-trained
physicians to treat millions of allergy and asthma sufferers, and
even in developed countries, many highly sophisticated areas
have no trained allergists.
The best response to these issues is for the community of
world allergists to promote better the science of allergy and
clinical immunology and the exchange of information. The
World Allergy Organization is at the forefront of attempts to
understand, address, and respond to these issues.
In this first State of World Allergy Report, experts from
different regions of the world have attempted to
define the extent of the problem, examine recent trends,
and provide a framework for the collaboration of world medicine, science,
and government agencies that is needed to address the rapidly
developing issues associated with allergy and chronic
respiratory disease.
The report opens with a review of the state of allergy and
common chronic allergic respiratory diseases in the Asia-
Pacific region, which hosted the World Allergy Congress in
Bangkok in December 2007 (where this report was first
announced). The Asia-Pacific region is also the most populous
region of the world and encompasses many highly developed
nations and numerous emerging economies. A significant
increase in the prevalence of allergies in the emerging societies
of this region is anticipated as the social and economic
environments change to more industrial and postindustrial
infrastructures. An overview of the global epidemiology of
allergic diseases in the following section provides information
on world trends and contrasts the current situation between
developed nations and developing economies. The report next
outlines the active response to the growing problem of allergic
diseases by two major world organizations: the World Allergy
Organization and the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory
Diseases of theWorld Health Organization. The report
concludes with speculation about the changing environmental
and social factors that are expected to influence the future
global pattern of allergic diseases and considers the resources
that will be needed to manage this burgeoning global epidemic.
The pharmaceutical industry, in its own response to this
growing problem, has for many years worked alongside the
scientific community to ensure that scientific discoveries and
innovations are put into practice in the service of allergy
patients and physicians. Recognizing the importance of this
review, members of the pharmaceutical sector are supporting
the State of World Allergy Report through an unrestricted
educational grant.
REFERENCE
1. Holgate ST. The epidemic of allergy and asthma. Nature. 1999;
402(suppl):B2Y4.
ALLERGY AND ASTHMA: MAJOR PROBLEMS IN
THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways
that is often associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and
variable airflowobstruction. Asthma is usually reversible either
spontaneously or with treatment. Allergic rhinitis is an immunoglobulin
EYmediated inflammation of the nasal mucosa.
Asthma and allergic rhinitis are two of the most common
chronic respiratory (airway) diseases in childhood, but both
of these diseases also affect adults. The prevalence of these
diseases increased substantially in many parts of the world
during the 20th century. Allergic sensitization, that is, the
development of specific immunoglobulin E antibodies against
common allergens, is an important risk factor for asthma, and
asthma is often associated with allergic rhinitis.
An estimated 300 million persons worldwide have
asthma, approximately 50% of whom live in developing countries
with limited access to essential drugs; therefore, asthma is
often poorly controlled in these areas.1 Four hundred million
persons worldwide have allergic rhinitis.1,2
Two large international studies, the International Study
of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)3 and the
European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS),4
have studied the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis
worldwide through the use of standardized questionnaires.
Both the ECRHS and ISAAC have shown substantial variations
in the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis
across countries and regions.
ASTHMA AND ALLERGIC RHINITIS: COMORBID
CHRONIC ALLERGIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES
The ISAAC showed that in general, with some exceptions,
higher levels of allergic rhinitis or hay fever are observed
in communities with higher levels of asthma. Up to 70% of
persons in the ECRHS who reported having asthma also
reported having hay fever, and in all centers, hay fever was
strongly associated with the presence of asthma.5 Some longitudinal
studies suggest that the incidence of asthma is more
common in those with a history of rhinitis and that the risk is
greater in those with hay fever of the longest duration and of the
greatest severity and in those with both sinusitis and rhinitis.6
ASTHMA AND ALLERGIC RHINITIS IN THE
ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
Increasing Prevalence
Asia is the world�s most populous continent, with a population
of almost 4 billion people and many emerging economies.
According to recent epidemiological data from ISAAC
phase III, asthma and allergic rhinitis have increased in several
areas, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.7,8 The
prevalence of allergic diseases in Asia varies widely but was
found to have increased (from 0.8% to 29.1% for asthma and
from 5% to 45% for allergic rhinitis) as communities adopted
modern lifestyles and became urbanized.
Time trends in the prevalence of asthma symptoms also
showed different regional patterns, that is, a decrease in current
wheezing in children aged 13 to 14 years in western Europe
and an increase in wheezing children of the same age
group in the Asia-Pacific region. Even within the Asian region,
there was a wide variation among countries. The prevalence of
asthma in Japan increased from 3.5% in 1982 to 4.6% in 19929
to 9.1% in 2006 (A. Akasawa, M.D., Ph.D., unpublished data,
2006) and was accompanied by an increase in allergic rhinitis
of up to 32% (A. Akasawa, M.D., Ph.D., unpublished data,
2006). Similarly, 2 surveys performed in Taiwan using an
identical method showed that the prevalence of childhood
asthma had increased from 1.3% in 1974 to 5.07% in 1985.10
More recent ISAAC III data showed that in 13- and 15-yearold
children in Taiwan, the overall cumulative and 12-month
prevalences of wheezing and rhinitis in the younger children
were 8.2% and 44.4%, respectively, and those in the older
children were 6.9% and 42.2%, respectively.11 The percentage
of children in Singapore who had experienced asthma at least
once increased from 5.5% in 1967 to 13.7% in 1987 and to
20.7% in 1996. In Singaporean preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years,
WAO Journal & June 2008, Supplement 1 State of World Allergy Report 2008
* World Allergy Organization S5
Copyright @ 2008 World Allergy Organization.
Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
the cumulative and previous 12-month prevalences of
wheezing were 27.5% and 16.0%, respectively. Asthma was
reported by 11.7% of this group of children, and the current
prevalence of rhinitis was 25.3%.
A field study conducted in four major cities in India with
the use of a validated questionnaire showed the overall prevalence
of asthma in 2006 to be 2.38%.12 In a recent study
in rural Bangladesh, the prevalence of asthma in children was
16.1%.13 In contrast, in nonrural Lhasa, Tibet, the prevalences
of current wheezing and diagnosed asthma were 0.8% and
1.1%, respectively.14 The prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis
in Tibet was 5.2%. Even within the same country, the
prevalence of asthma differed among various populations.7,8
Although overall regional data for adults are scant, between 1%
and 10% of adults are estimated to have asthma, and between
10% and 32% are estimated to have allergic rhinitis.
Triggers and Risk Factors
Aeroallergens that trigger allergy and asthma vary from
area to area in geographically diverse Asia. Although housedust
mites are the major triggering allergen in most of Asia,
pollens, such as Japanese cedar pollen, are a major cause of
allergic rhinitis in Japan. In a study of the prevalence of allergen
sensitization among asthma patients in Thailand, house-dust
mites (both Dermatophagoides species and Blomia tropicalis)
were the most common sensitizing allergens in both pediatric
and adult patients with asthma.15 Other important allergens, in
order of priority, were cockroach and oil palm pollen. In
contrast, less than 5% of patientswere sensitive to other pollens
and spores. Similarly, in a study of the sensitization profile of
the general population in Southeast Asia to house-dust mites,
subjects with rhinitis were most sensitive to B. tropicalis,
followed by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (73% and 50%,
respectively).16 Dual sensitization was common.
Although genetic factors are important in the manifestation
of asthma and allergic rhinitis, the rapid increase in the
prevalence of these disorders cannot be attributed to genetic
factors alone. Changes in environmental factors also need to
be taken into account. In a survey that compared the prevalence
of asthma and atopic disorders in Chinese children aged
12 to 18 years in three Asian cities (Hong Kong, Kota
Kinabalu, and San Bu, with Hong Kong being the most
developed and westernized city), the prevalence of asthma and
allergic disorders in children from Hong Kong was 2 to 6 times
that in children from the other 2 cities.17 Allergic sensitization
was a significant factor associated with asthma. The prevalence
of atopy in Kota Kinabalu was high (64%), yet the prevalence
of asthma was low (1.9%). In a cross-sectional prevalence
analysis of wheezing, rhinitis, and eczema in Singaporean
preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years, the main risk factors for current
wheezing and self-reported asthma were family history
of allergy, concurrent rhinoconjunctivitis, concurrent chronic
flexural rash, and previous respiratory tract infection.18 In rural
Bangladesh, risk factors associated with wheezing were
pneumonia (at ages 0 to 12 months and 13 to 24 months),
maternal asthma, paternal asthma, and maternal eczema.13
Despite extensive research on genetic, environmental,
and lifestyle causes of asthma and on asthma risk factorsV
including pollution, tobacco smoke, diet, urban lifestyle, reduced
early exposure to infections, and viral infectionsVno
single factor has been identified as responsible for the marked
geographic variation in or the increasing prevalence of asthma.
Morbidity and Mortality
Patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis have a reduced
quality of life, and the burden of asthma, as assessed by
disability-adjusted life-years, ranks 22nd among all diseases
worldwide.19 Moreover, asthma in infancy often goes unrecognized
and thus untreated.
The Asthma Insights and Reality in Asia-Pacific Study,
which looked at patient perceptions of asthma management
across Asia, concluded that patients experience frequent and
unnecessary symptoms and exacerbations because of a lack
of adequate asthma control.20 Indeed, 27% of adults and 37%
of children with asthma in the Asia-Pacific region reported that
this condition had resulted in an absence from school or work
in the previous year, and 40% reported being hospitalized,
visiting the emergency department or making unscheduled
emergency visits to other health care facilities in the previous
year. The severity of asthma varied, with Vietnam and China
reporting the most patients with severe persistent symptoms.
Work absence was highest in the Philippines (46.6%) and
lowest in South Korea (7.5%). In another survey of parents of
children with asthma from four Asian countries, most of the
children (73%) had preexisting symptoms of allergic rhinitis
at the time when asthma was diagnosed, and comorbid asthma
and allergic rhinitis substantially affected quality of life and
worsened asthma symptoms.21
Mortality associated with asthma varies from country to
country and seems to be high in countries where access to
essential drugs is low. The Global Initiative on Asthma estimates
that approximately 250,000 persons die of asthma annually,
and the death rate per 100,000 persons with asthma
aged 5 to 34 years in highly populated China is greater than
10%.22 However, asthma can be controlled with optimal treatment.
This has been proven in countries where an asthma
management plan was implemented and the morbidity rate
subsequently decreased.23
Socioeconomic Burden
The annual costs of treating asthma and allergic
rhinitisVboth direct costs (hospitalization, medications) and
indirect costs (time lost from work, premature death)Vare
substantial and represent an even heavier burden in societies
with emerging economies. The Asthma Insights and Reality in
Asia-Pacific survey of urban centers in eight countries in the
Asia-Pacific region showed that the annual per-patient direct
costs ranged from US $108 in Malaysia to US $1010 in Hong
Kong.24 Total per-patient costs, including productivity costs,
ranged from US $184 in Vietnam to US $1189 in Hong Kong.
Urgent care costs were 18% to 90% of the total per-patient
direct costs. The economic burden in the Asia-Pacific region
was higher than that in the United States in relation to the per
capita gross domestic product (13% in the Asia-Pacific region
compared with 2% in the United States) and per capita health
care spending (300% in the Asia-Pacific region compared with
12% in the United States).24,25 Approximately US $20 billion
are spent globally each year in relation to allergic rhinitisVa
Pawankar et al WAO Journal & June 2008, Supplement 1
S6 * World Allergy Organization
Copyright @ 2008 World Allergy Organization.
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of chronic allergic respiratory diseases
such as asthma and allergic rhinitis is increasing in the Asia-
Pacific region. With the projected increase in the Asian population
over the next decade, the burden of allergic diseases is
expected to increase markedly. The exact mechanisms and determining
factors underlying the increase in prevalence remain
unclear, although allergen sensitization has been found
to be at least as common in the region as in the West. Better
identification of triggers and risk factors, increased surveillance
of the burden of disease, better public awareness, improved
training of physicians and health care personnel, better
access to essential drugs, implementation of environmental
controls, appropriate management, and implementation of preventive
measures26 are key to reducing the burden of these
diseases in the Asia-Pacific region .
i think you'll need to edit your post if you want anyone to read it 
unless you're allergic to paragraphs of course.
Overly hygienic practices and unnecessary immunization in areas filled with potential allergens equals allergy. An immune system with nothing to fight fights itself. Not sure why this is considered an epidemic or anything new.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by NeoPhono Overly hygienic practices and unnecessary immunization in areas filled with potential allergens equals allergy. An immune system with nothing to fight fights itself. Not sure why this is considered an epidemic or anything new. |
If I have a headache, I work through it, no fucking Advil shit for me! And I must add that as a result I developed drug-free methods of beating a headache.
Growing up I'd always had seasonal allergies to pollens, and well as allergies to cats.
Itchy Eyes
Sneezing
Runny, stuffed up nose
Occasionally a hey-fever cough.
3 years ago I started working for a Lawncare company, so I was forced to be outside for about 7 hours a day (not counting driving around my route as outdoors). I also took my friend's 2 cats off his hands since he couldn't afford to take care of them anymore.
3 down the road (as in, NOW), I no longer get allergy attacks from either thing. Where sitting in the same room as a cat used to be enough to trigger my allergic reactions, now there is are only two things that cause my allergy symptoms to erupt.
Rubbing my eyes when they are itchy (in fact, if I rub my eyes even if they don't feel itchy, they'll instantly become itchy so technically they are constantly itchy)
Rubbing my nose to get rid of an itch (like, squeezing the nostril down and moving it around to take care of the itch).
Either of those two things will cause my allergy symptoms to erupt, but being around my two cats constantly and being outside are no longer enough to trigger my symptoms.
My personal experience tells me that if you force your body to be around the things you're allergic to, that eventually you will no longer be allergic to those things.
Curiously enough, I just read an article from a link on the same page as that story about the fat family (Only in Amerikka) about peanut allergies, and how some success has been had giving kids as little as one one-thousandth of a peanut daily, and having their bodies build up a tolerance so that they no longer have allergic reactions.
I think it really IS as simple as our immune system doesn't have anything to do, so things that aren't typically harmful trigger our bodies to fight them like a disease. Symptoms of illnesses are usually just our bodies mechanism for defense against illness. Things such as fever, running nose, sneezing, sweating, etc. are all ways to kill and expel the unwanted invader in our body, which is why taking medication to relieve symptoms often results in the illness lasting longer than it should.
Interestingly enough, most allergic reactions are very simple to how our body reacts to the common cold... imagine that.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Magnetonium If its that simple, why the heck are those people taking it so far? Though I somewhat agree with what you said here. Immune system needs something to fight, and if overly protected - then yes it attacks itself. Like so many children who are not exposed to the environment and instead spend their entire childhoods in their closed rooms. The question is - how do we fight this allergy epidemic? Especially in urban areas - there people have no choice but spend most of their time living in "boxes" and being over-protected. Luckily I was very active as a young child, and lived in a countryside, I was stung by bees, wasps, ants, etc., had my share of flus and colds, and many other things. Thankfully, no allergies as a result! My immune system is always working - I never take any drugs/medications to fight a health problem If I have a headache, I work through it, no fucking Advil shit for me! And I must add that as a result I developed drug-free methods of beating a headache.Kinda odd you mention immunization - I thought you were all for that kind of shit. I havent had a shot of any kind since I was about 8, when I was starting Grade 1 and received my immunization shots. I think that apart from the shots against the most dangerous threats we really shouldn't be taking any drugs or medications and spend more time out there in the nature, taking a beating from bees and getting bitten by ants to get the immune system going from young age! |
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