Asthma and allergies are two very common pathologies that affect the child population, but for which, until recently, there were no specific and reliable data. A study recently published in the Archivos de Bronconeumología journal, a publication of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), indicates that 5.7% of children under 14 years of age in Spain have asthma and 11.4%, allergies , especially allergic rhinitis. In Spain there are about 6 million children (up to 14 years old), which means that there are about 795,000 children with some type of allergy and 397,000 with asthma.
Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of shortness of breath and wheezing. It can occur in people of all ages. It is the most common chronic disease among children. Currently, there are about 235 million people in the world with asthma, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO). In the case of allergies, these are mechanisms of exaggerated immune response of the body (hypersensitivity) to different types of allergens: environmental, food, drugs, etc. Although it is difficult to know exactly the number of people affected, the WHO predicts that by 2050 approximately half of the world’s population will suffer from at least one allergic disorder.
The aforementioned study published by SEPAR was directed by Luis González de Paz, health and research technician of the Consorcio de Atención Primaria de Salud del Eixample (CAPSBE) and researcher of the research group of the IDIBAPS Transversal Investigation in Primary Care; Laura Valdesoiro, pediatrician at the Parc Taulí University Hospital; Antoni Sisó-Almirall, CAPSBE Research Director; and Joan Bartra, head of the Allergology Service at Clínic Barcelona.
González de Paz affirms that “in this case, we not only wanted to determine the prevalence of these diseases in boys and girls, but also to see the effect they cause on their daily lives and on their mental health; as well as the impact on the use of resources sanitary”. To carry out the study, the National Health Survey carried out by the Ministry of Health through the National Institute of Statistics (INE) has been used. The data comes from the responses of 6,297 children under 14 years of age, which is considered a representative sample of the Spanish pediatric population.
The main conclusion is that these two diseases have a significant impact on the lives of affected children and affect their quality of life and mental health. Laura Valdesoiro explains that “according to the data extracted from the survey, 75% of the cases of the child population who report having a poor quality of life can be attributed to asthma, and around 70% to allergies” and adds that “allergy and asthma may be behind half of the cases of boys and girls who have to limit daily activities, such as playing sports or going to parties with friends.
In addition to providing data on how many are affected, the study reveals data on the impact of childhood asthma and allergies on the health system. To measure this impact, visits to the primary care center, medical specialists, and hospital admissions have been counted. “Over 30% of all pediatric specialist visits can be attributed to problems stemming from asthma or allergy, as well as 62% of hospital admissions for asthma or more than 22% of emergency room visits in both diseases,” says Bartra. For his part, Sisó-Almirall assures that “the complexity of these diseases shows that an integrated care approach is needed, with a continuity of health care between the educational field and the care facilities”.
Geographically, the autonomous communities with the most cases of allergies in the child population are Andalusia (164,169), Catalonia (135,536), Madrid (122,060), the Valencian Community (65,226) and the Canary Islands (50,172). In the case of childhood asthma, the communities with the most cases are Madrid (81,183), Andalusia (69,435), Catalonia (35,565), the Valencian Community (34,963) and the Canary Islands (31,978).
