To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Urbanised Lifestyle Associated With Asthma URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2EA6E.htm Doctor's Guide July 11, 1997
LONDON -- July 11, 1997 -- People living in Jimma, a city at the early stages of economic development in south-west Ethiopia, are more likely to have asthma and be allergic to housedust mites than people who live in rural areas. This is the hypothesis tested by Dr. Haile Yemaneberhan and colleagues from Ethopia and the UK in this week's issue of The Lancet. Asthma and genetically determined allergy (atopy) in developing countries may be associated with the adoption of an urbanised or "western" lifestyle. However, the cause of asthma in developed countries is unclear. Exposures associated with affluence or economic development may, therefore, have an important role in finding out the risk of developing asthma and other allergic disorders. Yemaneberhan and colleagues had three objectives: to find out whether asthma and atopy are more common among urban than rural communities; to explore the association of asthma and atopy in these populations; and to assess the effects and differences in exposure to potentially relevant aetiological factors between the two communities. Information about wheeze and diagnosed asthma was collected by sending questionnaires to a random sample of 9844 Jimma and 3032 rural households. Some of the sample were also given skin tests to test for allergies. All respiratory symptoms were rare in children and were significantly less common overall than in the urban group. Skin sensitivity to housedust mite was significantly more common in the urban group. Wheeze and allergy to housedust mite were positively associated with housing style, bedding materials, and use of malathion insecticide, but the athors say "no single factor accounted for the urban-rural differences". The authors conclude that self-reported asthma "seemed to emerge as a clinical problem about 10 years before the study began, which is consistent with an effect of new environmental exposures." However, the factor or factors leading to the increase in asthma and allergy have not been identified, although, the authors say "exposures related to general changes in the domestic environment are likely to be involved." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.