Eczema, Asthma & Hay Fever Cases Now Reaching Epidemic Levels

An influential report was released yesterday confirming that the incidence of allergic disease in the UK now ranks among the highest in the world. As the parent of a child that was hospitalized by Asthma a few years ago, I was immediately keen to understand what the reasons are for such a rapid growth in conditions like asthma, hay fever and eczema.

The notable growth in cases of asthma began in the 1950s when the numbers of people affected in the UK was to nearly double every decade continually in to the 1990s. A remarkable trend that surely merits investigation and urgent action by health authorities you may think. But even more startling to me is that more recent research undertaken in 2004 found that almost 40% of children in the UK, and around 30% of all adults, have been diagnosed with asthma, eczema, hay fever or even a distressing combination of these allergies.

One of the most severe allergic reactions a victim can suffer is called anaphylactic shock. The symptoms include a fall in blood pressure, breathlessness and sudden swelling. This reaction can be so severe and occur so quickly that it is essential to get emergency medical attention. I was stunned to learn that hospital admissions in the UK due to this life threatening condition rose to more than 30,000 a year, more than a seven fold increase, between 1990 and 2004 and several lives are now being lost each year. The most common causes of anaphylactic shock are insect bites or stings and nut allergies.

The growth in peanut allergy sufferers is possibly the most startling I was able to find on record. It is estimated that 25,000 people in the UK are now at risk from exposure to the nuts and recorded cases saw an increase of nearly 120% in the four years between 2001 and 2005.

So why are these allergies increasing so dramatically? While theories abound there is no clear cause identified yet. A commonly held theory is that the growth mirrors the increase in cleanliness, reduced exposure to childhood diseases and the overall improvement of the germ free environment we live in. Advocates of this theory believe this is leading to a reduction in the natural immunity of the population.

There are some statistics to support this idea, such as lower incidence of allergies in children brought up on farms compared to cleaner city homes. But then there are conflicting studies in places like Tristan Da Cunha, the world's most remote inhabited island in the South Atlantic, where recorded instances of asthma have also shown a dramatic increase.

The report by the House Of Lords Science and Technology Committee that triggered my interest went on to criticize the UK Government, rightly in my view, for a severe lack of funding being made available to tackle the mounting problem. The committee claims the UK is now one of the worst resourced countries in Europe and doctors are routinely ignoring treatments available in other countries. Surely, if simple common concern for the population is not sufficient motive for our politicians to act, then the ever rising costs to our health services should demand their urgent attention to the problem?

While I may be focusing on, and complaining about, the lack of UK Governmental response the alarming rise in allergic disease is seemingly now a global problem that I believe should concern us all.

The author is webmaster at NameAwareness.com & a moderator at Pheebay Forums.