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More Children Suffer From Allergies; Eczema and Hay Fever Show 'Significant' Increases

Posted on: Friday, 27 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

ALLERGIES among school-children are still on the increase, new research has revealed.

The latest figures from a study in Aberdeen which has been running for four decades found small but significant rises in the diagnosis of both eczema and hay fever.

Cases of eczema among the sample of 3500 primary school pupils has risen from one in 20 in 1964, to more than one in five in 1999. Hay fever afflicted 3.2% of the pupils when the research began, compared with 15% in 1999, according to the report, which appears today in the British Medical Journal.

Professor George Russell, lead author of the study, said the picture presented by the Aberdeen children was likely to be typical for Scotland and the UK, as sociologists and disease experts had identified the population as representative of the nation. He said the schools used were outwith the wealthier suburbs of the city.

Apart from actual cases of hay fever or eczema, the authors said the risk of contracting the conditions had increased significantly.

It is not yet known why allergies, including skin and breathing disorders, have suddenly taken such a grip on developed nations, although it is often suggested that modern hygiene standards have caused "bored" immune systems to react to innocent particles, such as pollen and dust. Dietary changes are another possibility.

However, better diagnosis of allergies as well as an increase in incidence may explain the rises in hay fever and skin irritation.

Professor Russell said: "I think there is much more emphasis on diagnosing children's illness now. Most of the mums of the children in our study will be working.

"It is much more important nowadays to get a diagnosis when your child is ill and (to get) a reason for their mother being off work. Before, if your child was a bit sniffy, it probably did not bother you much, but nowadays it bothers you a lot more."

He believed changes to the environment, rather than biological changes in the population, must be behind the rising tide of allergies.

"Biology could not change that fast. One might expect over a very long period of time that there could be some sort of change in the population genetics but that is not going to change over the course of a few years."

Margaret Cox, chief executive of the National Eczema Society, said the prevalence of eczema had risen threefold in the last 30 years.

She added: "Why this should be is not completely understood, but it does seem to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Insulation and heating in our homes is much better than 30 years ago.

"Many homes now have central heating, double glazing, and cavity wall insulation. Over the years, ventilation has also decreased, we allow far less fresh air into our homes then previous generations and there has been a considerable increase in indoor humidity."

However, the Aberdeen report said the number at risk from symptoms of asthma appears to have stabilised. This has raised speculation that the wheezing epidemic which has affected most Westernised countries is now reaching a plateau.

Professor Russell said that those vulnerable to whatever had triggered the sudden massive increase in asthma may already have the condition.

At the start of the project, 10% of the children involved had experienced wheezing in the previous three years, compared with 20% when the survey was repeated in 1989, 25% in 1994, and 28% in 1999.

Diagnoses of asthma have also risen, although the evidence shows this is partially because the likelihood of wheezy children being diagnosed as asthmatic has increased.

Parents of children in Aberdeen have been questioned by Professor Russell's team again this year, but the results have yet to be analysed.

In China, new research has confirmed Western lifestyles and diets are closely linked to high rates of childhood asthma.

A study of almost 11,000 primary schoolchildren showed that those living in Hong Kong, China's most Westernised city, were most likely to suffer asthma symptoms.

The findings may shed light on why asthma rates are so high in developed countries such as the UK. An estimated 5.1 million people in Britain currently receive treatment for asthma, including 1.4 million children.

Researchers compared children aged 13 and 14 in three Chinese cities at different stages of modernisation, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Guangzhou.

Parents were asked about asthmatic symptoms and their children's exposure to a range of environmental factors.

These included cooking with gas, foam pillows, cotton quilts, damp housing, pets, and contact with cats, dogs, or farm animals.

Consumption of fruit and raw vegetables was also considered. A smaller group of about 4000 children was given skin-prick tests.

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