We all know about the dangers of asthma. It’s a debilitating disease of the lungs that mainly affects children and can cause life-long symptoms and challenges for wellbeing. Asthma can cause a constriction of the airways of the lungs and this can lead to shortness of breath, wheezing and tightness of the chest. Overall it can be a very worrying condition to have and it can be a real burden on the quality of life for many people. Unfortunately, however, things might actually be getting a lot worse.
A team of researchers from New Zealand have highlighted their concerns and suggested policy initiatives needed to avoid the impending global epidemic of asthma. Quite worryingly, the global level of children with asthma is currently around fifteen percent and it’s thought that this figure is only likely to rise.
The researchers are especially worried as more developing countries become more Westernised and lead lifestyles similar to those in the west. Unfortunately with less access to health care and less regulating in terms of air quality there is the potential for the asthma problem to become out of control in developing countries.
However, there is also the fact that the idea that Westernisation is what is causing asthma may not tell the whole story. It’s thought that genetic predisposition to the disease could be less important than previously thought and that other environmental factors may play a role.
It is clear that further asthma research is clearly needed urgently, before the rest of the world begin to have the levels of asthma prevalence that are present in high-income countries. It’s thought that a great deal more could be done to help alleviate symptoms of those people with the condition and make it easier for people to avoid an attack.
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