The lung disease that is just marching on…

Asthma is on the rise and the rate of people suffering from the respiratory condition has increased by one per cent a year since the last official study in 2008, according to the Malta Asthmatic Society.

The prevalence of the disease on a national scale increased from 7.3 per cent in 2002 to nine per cent in 2008.

The society estimates that the figure represented 13 per cent of the population – that is, 52,000 people.

Today, about 8,000 children suffer from asthma and about 1,000 are admitted into hospital each year because of it, the Health Ministry told The Times.

During a conference to mark World Asthma Day last week, health promotion director Charmaine Gauci said today’s indoor lifestyle was believed to be increasing the rate of asthma in children.

Consultant respiratory physician Stephen Montefort agreed adding that the way people furnished their houses – with fitted carpets, heating and lack of ventilation – did not help.

He added Maltese doctors were studying the effect of indoor pollution, at home and school, on respiratory childhood health.

He pointed out that the 2002 International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood study showed that wheezing among five to eight-year-olds had increased by more than 50 per cent since 1995 and trebled since a 1985 local study on wheezing.

Maltese doctors will carry out a follow-up study in October, he said.

Asked about geographical patterns of asthma, Prof. Montefort said the ISAAC studies showed wheezing, commonly a symptom of asthma, increased across localities.

However, certain areas stood out.

In the Central East and East, such as Paola and Gudja, the rate of wheezing children in the age group studied increased from just under 10 per cent to more than 20 per cent between 1995 and 2002.

In the Grand Harbour area that includes Floriana, it increased from nine per cent to 20 per cent while in the Central North, like Pembroke and Sliema, the figure rose from about six per cent to 16 per cent.

The Health Ministry said that according to results of the 2008 European Health Interview Survey, there were no statistically significant increases in asthma by locality since 2002.

Prof. Montefort stressed the importance of taking preventative treatment and not relying solely on relievers.

This also applied to pregnant women who often feared treatment might harm their baby, which was not the case.

He said Malta had a low asthma mortality rate, mainly since distances are short and people manage to get help in time.

Over the past 17 years some 126 people died of asthma and most were over 40 years old. There were no deaths under the age of 14.

So what is being done to curb this increasing health problem?

The ministry spokesman said the government put in place several laws and regulations to control dust and second-hand smoke – the two main triggers.

In 2010 it developed a strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, including asthma. A draft legal notice proposed setting up a committee to tackle air quality issues that are not covered by other laws such as fireplaces and industrial ovens.