Children living in big cities such as Delhi, are likely to grow susceptible to allergic ailments, more than adults, due to urban pollution, especially air, health experts said. “Infants and children living in metro cities are inhaling polluted air and therefore their resistance to allergic ailments are lowered at a very young age, making them more susceptible to contract various allergies when they grow up, compared to adults, Director (Acting) of the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (VPCI), S N Gaur, told PTI.
According to Gaur, between 20-30 per cent of the population in the country suffers from some form of allergic ailments. Studies suggest that the prevalence of asthma has been on the rise in developing countries in the past one decade. Also, studies from several centres have reported that the prevalence of asthma in children in India ranged from 2.3-11.9 per cent, while in adults it ranged from 0.96-11.03 per cent, according to VPCI.
According to experts, it is estimated that over 20 per cent of the world’s population suffers from allergic diseases
such as allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis, atopic eczema and anaphylaxis.
Asthma is a worldwide problem, with estimated 300 million affected individuals and global prevalence which ranges from 1-18 per cent in different geographical regions. “The most common allergic ailment, in my career as a
doctor, I have diagnosed is allergic rhinitis,” Union minister Harsh Vardhan said.
Air pollution is killing nearly eight lakh people annually in the South East Asian Region with India alone accounting for over 75 per cent of the casualties caused by cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer, according to WHO.
According to a recent WHO report, Indian cities, including Delhi, Patna and Gwalior were identified as among the severely polluted cities in the world. Experts say global warming and pollution are among the major factors responsible for causing allergic ailments.
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AIR POLLUTION INCREASES BLOOD PRESSURE RISK: STUDY
Long-term exposure to urban air pollution incrementally increases the risk of high blood pressure, according to a study released Tuesday of more than 41,000 European city-dwellers.
Constant noise pollution — especially traffic — also boosts the likelihood of hypertension, researchers reported in the European Heart Journal.
High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for premature illness and death.
The study found that one extra adult per 100 people of roughly the same age developed high blood pressure in the most polluted part of towns compared to more breathable neighbourhoods.
The risk is similar to being clinically overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-30, the researchers said.
For noise pollution, the researchers found that people living on busy streets with loud night-time traffic had, on average, a six percent increased risk of developing hypertension compared to areas where noise levels were at least 20 percent lower.
“Our findings show that long-term exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with a higher incidence of self-reported hypertension,” Hoffmann said in a statement.
Even when noise was excluded, the impact of air pollution on blood pressure remained, she added.
“Current legislation does not protect the European population adequately from adverse effects of air pollution,” the researchers concluded.
Pollution levels were higher in Spain and Germany than in the Nordic countries, Hoffmann noted.
Air pollution is thought to affect the heart and blood vessels by causing inflammation, a build-up of damaging molecules, known as oxidative stress, and an imbalance in the nervous system.
Noise is thought to affect the functioning of both the nervous and hormonal systems.
Source: AFP
