| |
| |
| Source
- TIMES NEWS NETWORK 3 May 05 |
New Page 2
India could be world asthma capital by 2020
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Mumbai: Check any dustball rolling out of a highrise apartment in Mumbai
and it’s clear why the incidence of allergies and asthma is spiralling.
The rarest of mites—be they blomia tropicalis (storage grain mites
supposed to be found only in granaries) or psocoptera (found mainly in
old books)—festering in the wall-to-wall carpets and heavy drapes in
city apartments are turning them into allergy- or asthmaprone zones.
Outdoors is worse—more cars means more combustion and more microscopic
particulate matter suspended in the air. “This worsens asthmatic
attacks,’’ notes Dr Sanjeev Mehta, who runs a support group for
asthmatics in Bandra. “Exhaust fumes and suspended particulate matter
create a predisposition towards inflammation of the lungs,’’ he
adds.
WORLD ASTHMA DAY
Every fifth Mumbaikar risks developing the disease
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Mumbai: On the occasion of World Asthma Day today, doctors point out
that even as asthma is becoming a controllable condition, more and more
people seem to be succumbing to it, a fact corroborated by the World
Health Organisation. They add that Mumbai’s onemillion tribe of
asthamatics will multiply, given the mega-city’s potent mix of rampant
environmental pollution and rapid urbanisation. Combine exhaust fumes
and suspended particulate matter with carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide and fine dust released into the atmosphere during the
unfettered construction work in the city, and you have a deadly cocktail
brewing.
Already, every fifth Mumbaikar suffers from allergic rhinitis (hay
fever) and runs the risk of developing asthma at a later date, according
to a study presented at a recent allergy congress in the city.
“Asthma is a case of having sensitive airways,’’ says a doctor
working with a civic hospital. “Certain people have a genetic
predisposition to asthma as irritants can easily inflame their airways,
narrowing the network of nasal and bronchial passages,’’ adds the
doctor. Environmental and lifestyle triggers can bring this
predisposition to the fore, leading to asthma.
Living in Mumbai makes it worse, say doctors. “Across the world, the
prevalence of asthma is directly proportional to development and GDP. As
India is poised for fast growth and development, it is predicted that in
2020 India will indeed be the world capital of asthma,’’ says
allergy expert Dr Pramod Niphadkar of St George’s Hospital.
Today, 300 asthmatics will talk about living in polluted Mumbai. At an
open forum organised by the Asthma and Bronchitis Association of India,
they will air their grievances and declare their ‘Bill of Rights’.
Many asthamatics believe they have become easy targets for
discrimination. “For instance, children with asthma are not allowed to
participate in physical training and sports in school. Parents of
asthamatic girls say their daughters’ prospects of marriage are likely
to diminish, and job applicants say an asthmatic condition erodes their
chances of landing employment,’’ says Niphadkar, who runs the Asthma
and Bronchitis Association of India.
The point, however, is that asthma is controllable, he adds, citing
examples of pace bowler Ian Botham and superstar Amitabh Bachchan. “It
is important to take timely medication and follow a healthy regimen,
including a pursuit like yoga,’’ adds another city doctor. After
all, 70% of asthamatics who do so tend to outgrow their chronic
condition.
http://epaperarchive.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?
Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA1LzA1LzAzI0FyMDAxMDQ=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
