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July 2008   

To view the entire report please click here.

2008 State of the World Allergy Report
 

The World Allergy Organization recently issued its State of the World Allergy Report 2008: Allergy and Chronic Respiratory Diseases. The report documents the findings of nations and organizations around the world in an effort to promote the science of allergy and clinical immunology and advance the exchange of information.

Here is a summary of the key findings from that report:

• 300 million people worldwide have asthma

• Worldwide 250,000 deaths per year are attributable to asthma, most largely preventable

• 5-15% of global pediatric population is thought to have asthma

• Incidence of allergy and associated respiratory diseases have increased but the number of health care professionals for diagnosis and treatment have decreased

• Asthma is under diagnosed and undertreated, although the use of inhaled corticosteroids has had a positive impact on outcomes

• Increasing number of hospital admissions for asthma, which are most pronounced in young children, reflects an increase in asthma severity in part because of poor disease management

• Patient education, written treatment plans & ongoing communication and review between patients and health care providers are key to effective handling and treatment

• Allergies are being called a "21st century disease" because as people live cleaner, healthier, less infection-prone lives, allergies increase in frequency

• Several factors will affect the future prevalence and treatment of allergy, including climate change, increase in industrialization, and the resultant increase in exposure to allergens
   

To read the entire report, please visit their website by clicking the link to the left.






Pawankar R, Baena-Cagnani CE, Bousquet J, Canonica GW, Cruz AA, Kaliner MA and Lanier BQ. State of World Allergy Report 2008: Allergy and Chronic Respiratory Diseases. WAO Journal; June 2008; Supplement 1: S4 – S17.

 

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