Marking the World Asthma Day, an extensive study has found that Cockroach is the No 1 allergy trigger, followed by dust and pollution. A report
On the occasion of World Asthma Day today, SRl Diagnostics has brought out a survey naming dust as the biggest cause of respiratory allergies among Indians, with men suffering more from allergen reactivity than women.
The analysis was done on diagnostic test reports of five years from 2013 to 2017, with a sample size of more than 63,000 patients who had undergone blood IgE level checks for allergens known to cause allergic asthma across the country.
While the analysis did not see significant zonal variation in allergen reactivity, it was observed that patients in younger age groups of less than 30 years suffered more. An interesting find of the study was that across various geographies in India, as an individual allergen, cockroach was the No 1 yielding more than 60 per cent abnormal results.
Speaking on the findings, Dr BR Das, advisor and mentor of R&D, SRl Diagnostics, said: “An allergic reaction can range from mild to severe, but irrespective of that, it is important that people know their allergic triggers so that these can be avoided.
“Since lab testing of allergy has improved tremendously over the last two decades, a simple blood test can throw up report on multiple allergens. As we know, asthma can be caused or worsened by many allergens. In our analysis, conducted from the data gathered from our laboratories across India, we identified several allergen triggers for asthma. Mites hidden in the dust were the most common cause of allergy-induced asthma,” he added.
Allergic reaction is responsible up to 90 per cent of childhood asthma and around 50 per cent of adult asthma. It is the result of the bodies’ reaction to environmental allergens like dust, pollen, grass, insects, domesticated animal dander etc. which can trigger asthmatic symptoms.
Peculiarly, even food can cause allergic asthma in children. In allergy, the body mistakenly identifies an otherwise harmless allergen as an invader and reactively triggers the immune system to produce IgE class of antibodies and release various chemicals like histamine. This can cause nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes or skin reactions and in some people, asthmatic attacks.”
A recent study titled Indian Study on Epidemiology of Asthma, Respiratory Symptoms and Chronic Bronchitis (INSEARCH) estimated that in India, out of the 18 million who suffer from asthma, 2.05% are less than 15 in age.
Stressing the need for a thorough allergy diagnostics, SRl Diagnostics’ CEO Arindam Haldar said: “While we know that the rising pollution level is adding to the severity of respiratory disorders, research shows that it also worsens asthma symptoms. As a preventive step, those exposed to pollution should undergo tests to ascertain the allergens they are sensitive to,” he added.
Out of 300 million people who suffer from asthma worldwide, about 1/12th live in India. The study included data from five major categories- Trees/Pollens, Food Products, Animals and Insects, Fungi, Dust and Grass. Across the spectrum, allergens were seen to be triggering asthma. The following were found to have maximum positivity:
Across all spectrums, men were found to have the highest allergen reactivity, while dust allergy was found to be the major cause of asthmatic trigger. While there is not much variation in the percentage positivity for dust allergy, eastern India showed the highest inclination for the same at 59%, followed by South and West India, respectively.