Roadside risk 200% Maximum risk increase that roadside residents in other countries develop asthma, say studies cited by Dr Alfred Tam
The number of cases in Hong Kong may be leveling off, but that’s cold comfort to the 400,00 Hongkongers who still wheeze, says Richard Lord
Firt, the good news: Hong Kong’s air pollution is not causing the city’s asthma levels to rise. The bad news: it is certainly making life worse for sufferers here. Indoor living conditions are not helping, either, making the fight against Hong Kong’s most common childhood disease – one responsible for 15 per cent of hospital asmissions among children – a tough one.
Asthma – recurrent attacks of shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing, caused by the inflammation (and hence narrowing) of the airways – affects about 300 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. Anyone, at any age, can get it, although it tends to be worse in children and young adults. It cannot be cured, but asthmatics can still enjoy a good quality of life through early diagnosis, appropriate treatment and effective continuing monitoring.
In Hong Kong, the prevalence of asthma rose steadily from the 1950s to the 90s because of urbanisation and the affluence brought about by Hong Kong’s dramatic economic and population growth during that period. But the incidence of asthma has leveled off recently at about 10 per cent among children and about 5per cent among adults, or about 400,000 asthmatics in total.
This plateau – which still puts the city in the middle-to-high bracket globally – might not tell the whole story, says Dr Alfred Tam Yat – cheung, chairman of the Hong Kong Asthma Society.“Although the prevalence has remained more or less the same, patients are becoming younger,” he says. “And the number of admissions in public hospitals is progressively increasing, which may mean we’re treating the same number of people, but their symptoms are more severe.”
In most developed countries, Tam says, the rate of asthma deaths is progressively coming down, owing to effective treatment and management of the condition. But it has remained the same here for the past few decades, at an estimated 90 to 100 a year. That translates to a higher death rate relative to the number of sufferers than a country such as the United States, even though asthma is far more prevalent there.
Reference information: www.scmp.com
It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Pediatrician for diagnosis and treatment.
