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Allergies, asthma  patients on increase

By Mubashir Hasan

LAHORE-As allergies and asthma patients are increasing all over the world, about 20 per cent population of Pakistan is also suf­fering from this distressing illness with female allergy patie~ts out-numbering males, disclosed re­nowned Clinical Immunologist and specialist in allergy and asthma, Dr. Osman yusuf while talking to The Nation on Thursday.

"At one time it was thought that allergies occur only in Islamabad in the spring season but a study revealed later that all types of al­lergies prevail in every nook and corner of Pakistan; but unfortu­nately, these are either being misdiagnosed or labelled as untreatable, he observed.

While allergies present themselves in so many different forms, many other illnesses do exist with features similar to allergy-related  I diseases; thereby, making the task of diagnosis very difficult, he explained.

Talking about the common signs I of an allergy, Dr. Osman Yusuf said it depends upon where the al­lergy phenomenon occurs. If, for example, this occurs in the respi­ratory passages, it can cause sneez­ing, a running nose, a discharge into the throat, coughing, difficulty in breathing, tightness in the chest,  I eventually culrninating in an attack of asthma, he added. If this occurs in skin, he continued, it can cause ( redness, itching, red rashes or hives (urticaria) and sometimes ( swelling of the lips, eyes or other parts of the body.

He was of the view that allergies may sometimes occur in the most unlikely ways like aggressive be­haviour in children, mood swings in adults, persistent gastric prob­lems and many other symptoms caused by certain types of aller­gies.

Giving details of the causes of allergy, Dr. Osman said that any-thing may cause allergy; it may be something one eats, drinks, breathes or something that comes in contact with skin or the bite of a certain insect, and many a time one never finds out the actual cause.

It is interesting to note that many non-allergic causes like smoke, exercise, sudden changes in tem­perature, strong wind and mental and physical stress may trigger off allergic reactions in both allergic and non-allergic individuals, he further said.

While giving reasons why women are more exposed to aller­gies than men, he said that women while doing housework, for exam­ple, are more exposed to dust and smoke. Similarly, he added, women generally react differently to various emotional stresses than men.

Besides, allergies in women of­ten multiply with increasing number of pregnancies.

Reproductive hormonal imbal­ances among women are also re­sponsible for increased number of allergy related problems in women

ranging from increased growth of hair on the body, excessive pim­ples, hot flushes, heaviness in the breasts to other premenstrual sys­tems, observed Dr. Asma Malik, an expert in treating various forms of allergy among women. Talking about the relationship between fe­male hormones and allergies she said that allergy symptoms are

aggravated either before or in the middle of women 5 menstrual cycles

Public awareness local re search properly trained physicians and above all a compassion ate and patient hearing of the sufferer’s  complaints can go a long way in the treatment of this ill­ness", Dr. Osman Yousuf con­cluded.

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The Nation, 16/3/2001

House dust mites, which are the commonest cause of respiratory allergies in the world, are still the leading cause of allergy in Islamabad, and affect patients irrespective of seasons. Pollen allergies increase tremendously in spring and in late summer in Islamabad. The main symptoms are excessive sneezing, runny nose, itching in the eyes, coughing, difficulty in breathing and if severe, asthmatic attacks. According to research published in the Allergy and Clinical Immunology International Journal from Sweden (ACI International, Supplement 2, 2000) and presented at the XVII International Congress of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Sydney, Australia, by Dr Osman Yusuf, Pakistan’s leading Allergy and Asthma Specialist, the main cause of respiratory allergy in spring season in Islamabad from March till April, has been due to pollens of male plants of the Paper Mulberry tree (Broussenetia papyrifera) and also pollens of the White mulberry tree (Morus alba), whereas in the late summer, from late June till early September, the pollens of Cannabis sativa (Bhang) are the main cause.

Fungus from common grass (Ustilago Cynodon dactylon) affects more patients but the symptoms are less severe. These findings are based on both skin allergy test results using both specially prepared extracts from USA and locally manufactured extracts, and patient provocation testing. This research was carried out by the research laboratories of the Allergy and Asthma Clinics, Pakistan, founded by Dr Osman Yusuf, founder of the former Allergy Department at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad.

The majority of adult patents suffering from seasonal asthma and nasal symptoms are between 21 to 40 years (60 per cent), 10 per cent are between 13 to 20 years, 21 per cent are between 41 to 50 years and the remaining are more than 51 years old. All the symptoms are more common in females than in males. Of the asthma patients, 65 per cent are females, 35 per cent are males, in nasal allergy patients, 58 per cent are females and 42 per cent males, eye allergies affect, 61 per cent females and 39 per cent males while seasonal skin allergies are 60 per cent in females and 40 per cent in males. During the allergy or pollen season, the best measures for a patient to take are avoiding exposure to the offending pollens, by the use of simple measure like using face masks, air purifiers etc. Anti-allergy medications and proper use of inhalers through spacer devices can alleviate the asthma and allergy attacks and make the patient feel almost normal during the pollen season.

The World Health Organisation has recommended in their report on Allergy Vaccination published in 1989, allergy testing should never be performed during the allergy season or when the patient is suffering, as this may aggravate the illness sine testing extracts contain the same allergen that the patient is suffering from but in much higher doses. The World Health Organisation and the International Guidelines on Asthma (the GINA or Global Initiative on Asthma) recommends that allergy vaccination is a specific prolonged process which has to be tailor made for every patient according to his or her individual allergies, environment, location, season of illness etc, and should only be done by a properly qualified allergist. A plan to survey the extent of allergy in Islamabad was chalked out by Dr Osman Yusuf for a certain Government agency but has still not been carried out because of shortage of funds.