Obesity to increase asthma The prevalence of asthma, a respiratory disease indicated by repeated episodes of coughing and wheezing, is expected to rise across the UAE, a senior medical expert said in Abu Dhabi yesterday .
This is because of an increase in obesity prevalence — as in the UAE — and a rise in the number of smokers is usually correlated with a higher prevalence of asthma, explained Dr Stephen Teach, chief of the division of allergy and immunology at the Children\'s National Medical Centre in the United States.
\"This is why it is imperative for parents and caregivers to create a healthy environment at home in a bid to prevent children from developing this lifelong disease in the first place,\" Dr Teach told Gulf News.
\"In addition, adhering to treatment methods prescribed by doctors also helps children already diagnosed with the condition to manage it effectively,\" he added.
Dr Teach was speaking on the sidelines of the 2nd World Healthcare Congress Middle East 2011, which concludes in the capital today. The three-day congress, which attracted 600 attendants from across the region, saw the discussion of many pressing medical and health care industry issues.
Asthma currently affects 8.5 per cent of individuals below the age of 18 years in the US, and Dr Teach said prevalence in the UAE is believed to be similar.
Explaining why obesity is correlated with asthma, Dr Teach said heavier children typically find it more difficult to breathe due to the excess fat in their chests and upper trunks.
\"Children who are constantly exposed to irritants like cigarette smoke, incense and candles also develop asthma more often, mainly because these irritate the respiratory airways,\" he said.
At least 18 per cent of the UAE\'s adult population were reported to be smokers in a 2003 survey, and health officials believe that the number has increased significantly since then.
\"Parents should therefore be careful to avoid irritants at home, and pay attention to any difficulties in breathing their children face so that a diagnosis can be made early,\" Dr Teach recommended.
\"Caregivers must also help those diagnosed with the condition to regularly take their medicines, especially as young children find it difficult to take daily medications on their own,\" he added.
The Children\'s National Medical Centre is located in the Shaikh Zayed Campus for Advanced Children\'s Medicine in Washington, which also houses the Shaikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation.
The Shaikh Zayed institute was itself launched in 2009 following a Dh355 million gift from the Government of Abu Dhabi, and its researchers work to make paediatric surgery more precise as well as less invasive and pain-free.