Allergy awareness important for Indian youth: New chief of world body

NEW DELHI - Allergic diseases like asthma or skin and food allergies are increasing among youth in rising economies like India, says Ruby Pawankar, president-elect of the World Allergy Organisation (WAO), who has now roped in Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan to create allergy awareness across India.

Although earlier considered largely a disease of the western world, a rise in allergic diseases is now seen in emerging economies like India and China. Thus it is important for health authorities to make adequate provisions for the care of patients who suffer from these diseases, Pawankar told IANS in an interview.

Controlling the disease by increasing awareness and appropriate evidence-based treatment is crucial, she said.

“Since the prevalence of these diseases is especially increasing in the young, in the Indian scenario where a large proportion of our population are young adults, this has a major impact on their quality of life and work productivity and thus affects the socio-economic fabric of the country,” said Tokyo-based Pawankar, a recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award for 2010 earlier this month.

Pawankar, who is also a director of the Asian Allergy and Asthma Foundation, said campaigning through visual and print media can create awareness among the public about these diseases. Education and training of general physicians and updating of specialists is also amongst the activities carried out by her foundation.

“We have created an allergy awareness documentary film with Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador. This 6.5-minute film is in nine Indian languages and we hope to distribute it all over the country with the help of NGOs and media,” she said.

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who suffers from asthma, is also associated with this cause and has given a video message for the public.

Pawankar is the forthcoming president of the WAO, the premium umbrella organisation in allergy, asthma and clinical immunology which is a worldwide alliance of 84 allergy and clinical immunology societies. She is the first Indian and the first woman in the world to be nominated to this position.

By collaborating with member-societies, this global organisation headquartered in the US advances excellence in clinical care, research and training in allergy, asthma and clinical immunology by providing educational outreach programmes and holding conferences for members in 84 countries.

In December this year, WAO will organise an international conference on asthma and co-morbidities in Dubai.

Pawankar graduated in medicine from Pune’s Armed Forces Medical College, did her postgraduate degree from B.J. Medical College, Pune, and her doctorate in allergy and clinical immunology from Nippon Medical School, Tokyo.

A professor at Nippon Medical School, Pawankar is also a guest professor at Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul. She has also served as visiting professor in the Department of Paediatrics, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo.

The prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide ranges from 30 to 40 percent. Pawankar said asthma alone affects about 300 million people worldwide and allergic rhinitis affects 400 million.

Allergic rhinitis acts as a risk factor for asthma and annually about 250,000 people die worldwide from asthma alone. “While we don’t have exact national statistics in India on the prevalence of allergic diseases, some studies show that 10 to 15 percent of the Indian population suffers from some form of allergic disease or the other. In China, it ranges between 10 and 20 percent.

While pollen from trees, grass and weeds, insects, pet dander and house dust mite are all causes of allergic rhinitis and asthma, one of the main trigger factors of these allergies in India and other South Asian countries is the house dust mite, Pawankar said.

Increased urbanisation, western lifestyles, altered food habits and increase in environmental pollution all play a role in causing this increase in allergic diseases.

Pawankar, who is the main editor of an upcoming “WAO White Book on Allergy”, an advocacy book placing allergy as a major global public health issue, said: “Climate change can also impact the growing trends in allergic diseases. Although the direct impact of climate changes on the prevalence of asthma is not well established, the global rise in asthma prevalence and severity suggests air pollution and climate changes could be contributing. Global warming causes increased length and severity of pollen season and migration of allergens.”

The book, intended for governments, health authorities, NGOs, sports authorities and public, will be released later this year, she said.

Pawankar, who retains her Indian citizenship, said that setting up a centre of excellence for patient care, research, education and training in allergic diseases in India is her “ultimate mission” for the country.

(T.G. Biju can be contacted at biju.t@ians.in)