[attach id=263168 size="medium"][/attach]
Asthma-related symptoms among boys have increased, according to a study looking into the respiratory health of children.
The most common symptom students taking part in the study complained of was headaches, Martin Balzan, a doctor specialised in respiratory medicine, said during a conference closing the EU-funded project themed Respira.
The project was launched in March last year to look into the respiratory health of children.
Some 1,000 students (attending schools in Cospicua, Ħamrun, Żejtun and Mosta) took part in the project, carried out by the Health Ministry in collaboration with health professionals and health centres in Sicily.
The study noted that while a similar exercise in 1995 had found that 11 per cent of boys had been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their life, in 2012 this rose to 22.6 per cent, according to data provided by doctors.
When the interviewees were asked whether they experienced wheezing in their life, 37 per cent of the boys said they did, compared to 26 per cent in 2002.
The children, aged between 12 and 13, coming from six secondary schools, answered questionnaires, but the study also included the use of €345,000 worth of sophisticated equipment, bought through EU funds and with the contribution of the Health Ministry, to measure air quality in schools and homes.
The project has found that nearly two thirds of students at the Ħamrun schools complained of headaches and the study looked into whether this was related to rhinitis. Blood tests for antibodies for allergens carried out on 50 children suffering from asthma and 50 others who do not show asthma symptoms, showed that house dust mites, the common plant parietaria (known as xeħt ir-riħ) and cat allergen could be the main triggers of this disease.
On the other hand, allergic conditions to the eyes, nose and coughing decreased by about 30 per cent when compared to similar studies in 1995 and 2002 by respiratory specialist Stephen Montfort.
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood condition in the world, reaching epidemic levels. Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia noted that every effort had to be made to combat environmental sources that could lead to asthma.
European Health Commissioner Tonio Borg said that while the project results were Malta’s and Italy’s to make use of, clean air for children was important across the whole of Europe.
If we polluted one place, it would eventually spread elsewhere. Air quality legislation had been the principle tool to improve air quality but there were many areas that did not meet these standards, which meant some children’s health was being put at risk, he said.
• On average, one in five boys and one in six girls have been diagnosed with asthma in some point in their life.
• 16 per cent of boys and nine per cent of girls used asthma medication in the past 12 months.
• Rhinitis incidence decreased from 56 per cent among girls in 1995 to 28 per cent in 2012 and from 49 per cent to 33 per cent among boys.