Males more prone to asthma, says survey

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New Delhi: Males are more sensitive to allergens such as dust, pollen, food products, and fungi, and therefore, more prone to respiratory allergies like asthma, compared with females, finds a survey by SRL Diagnostics. The survey showed that dust has the biggest allergic reactions in men (65.48 per cent) than women (49.39)

Further, men were also found to have the highest reactions to allergens like pollens, wheat, mold/ fungi, grass and even insects like cockroach, than women.

Moreover, young adults, those below 30 years, were observed to suffer more from allergen reactions than older adults.

"An allergic reaction can range from mild to severe, but irrespective of that, it is important that people know their allergic triggers so that these can be avoided," B.R. Das, Adviser and Mentor - R&D, SRL Diagnostics, said in a statement.

"In our analysis, we identified several allergens which can be triggers for asthma. However, the mites hidden in dust were found to be the most common cause of allergy-induced asthma," he added.

The analysis was done on diagnostic test reports of 5 years from 2013 to 2017, with a sample size of more than 63,000 patients across India, who had undergone blood IgE level checks for allergens known to cause allergic asthma.

Inhalation therapy remains the best form of drug delivery in asthma as it delivers drugs directly in the lungs, and the action is quick and lesser dose is required to improve the symptoms.

"Inhalation therapy not only treats the patients suffering from breathlessness but also prevents further attacks of asthma. The inhalers are handy, easy to carry and patient friendly as they are very simple to use," said Sandeep Nayar, Senior Consultant and Head of Department (Respiratory Medicine, Allergy and Sleep Disorder), at BLK Super Speciality Hospital.

Patients are advised to carry them in their pockets so that they can be immediately used to overcome asthmatic attacks, the doctor said.

"Inhalers and staying away from common allergens is the cornerstone of treatment. The newest modality available is bronchial thermoplasty, which uses radiofrequency heat to decrease airway wall thickness and helps decrease asthma symptoms.

"Nearly 80 per cent patients have a great sustained response" added Arvind Perathur, Consultant, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi.

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