New Delhi: Almost one of every three school children in Delhi has asthma obstruction and air flow.
In comparison, only 23% of children live in cities such as Kottayam and MySuru, where there is little pollution compared to Delhi, having respiratory health problems, a group of experts has claimed this based on studies that assess school health in three cities – Delhi , Kottayam in Kerala and Mysuru in Karnataka – using questionnaire and lung tests.
4,361 boys and women aged between 13-14 years and 16-17 years from 12 private schools (each of each in Delhi and Mysuru and six in Kottayam) were invited to participate in this study, including 3,456 agreed and 928 Delhi students, 1,040 from Kottayam and 1,189 from MySuru completed a questionnaire and conducted good quality spirometry (lung function test), Dr.
Arvind Kumar, one of the research writers published in the Indian Lung Journal, said.
He added that the lung function test revealed 29% of children living in Delhi suffered asthma and airflow obstruction compared to the prevalence of 23% of the symptoms of breathing seen in children living in Kottayam and MySuru.
Also, Dr.
Kumar added that of the 29% of children found to have air flow obstruction / asthma in spirometry in Delhi, only 12% previously reported diagnosed with asthma and 3% using several forms of inhalers.
In Kottayam and MySuru, between 23% (on average) children found to have airflow obstruction / asthma in spirometry, 27% were reported to have been diagnosed with asthma and 8% using several inhalers, the famous chest surgeon said.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children from Delhi is 40% compared to around 16% among children from Kottayam and Mysuru.
Dr.
Kumar, who is the chairman of the Institute of Chest Surgery in Medanta Gurgaon, said that the presence of obesity and overweight is strongly associated with asthma.
“This research is an eye opener.
It has demonstrated a very high prevalence of respiratory symptoms and allergies, asthma defined by spirometry, and obesity in Delhi children.
Air pollution is a possible link with the three.
It’s time for air pollution problems in Delhi And other cities are resolved systematically to save the future of our children, “he added.
Among the sample populations, boys were observed to have a higher prevalence of asthma than girls.
This observation is common in the three locations, the research said.