Studies carried out in Spain show that between 5 and 10% of the population under 6 years of age has asthma. Allergists, through a project consisting of ten videos, teach the different advances in precision allergology that have helped to significantly improve the lives of Allergic patients.
It is estimated that allergies play a major role in triggering asthma in 80% of children, and cases of allergic asthma have increased from 3.5% to 7% in children.
What is precision allergology?
Precision allergology focuses on personalizing the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases based on the patient’s genetic profile, environment and lifestyle.
This innovative approach enables the development of more effective therapies and minimises side effects, making a significant difference to the quality of life of millions of allergy sufferers around the world.
At the Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC), we are committed to the continuous improvement of healthcare for allergic diseases and we believe that precision allergology is the innovation with the greatest potential to achieve this goal, as it could solve the pending challenge of offering patients a specific diagnosis and individualized treatment,” acknowledges the president of the SEAIC, Professor Ignacio Jesús Dávila.
The challenges
Professor Dávila explains that precision allergology faces four challenges:
• Limited knowledge: Due to the large amount of information received, not all professionals are fully trained. We need more training for the staff who have to interpret the different diseases.
• Limitation of the concept: It is essential that the concept is disseminated, which is what is beginning to be done with this campaign. That is, that precision allergology is increasingly used.
• Equipment limitation: Another challenge faced is the need for more equipment capable of storing all the data.
• Limited human resources: New professionals capable of interpreting this data are also required. For example, bioinformatics professionals.
Allergic Asthma
According to data from the SEAIC, between 3 and 7% of the population suffers from asthma. It is estimated that the number of cases of asthma has tripled in the last four decades.
Given this increase in prevalence, it is important to remember that the allergist is the specialist capable of diagnosing and treating patients with allergic asthma from early childhood to old age. The allergic activation of the immune system involves the entire organism, so any allergic disease requires comprehensive management that the allergist offers from his broad vision of allergic diseases,” says Dávila.
Allergens related to allergic asthma are dust mites, pollens, animal dander such as dogs, cats, horses, rodents, and environmental fungi.
Allergists explain that there are currently no effective measures to prevent the onset of asthma, except avoiding smoking during pregnancy and the early stages of life.
Symptoms
One of the most common symptoms is a dry cough, without fever, unless the child has contracted a concomitant infection, and often a nocturnal cough that causes the child to sit up in bed, a very characteristic aspect.
Coughing is also triggered by exercise and fatigue because the child has less tolerance for exertion, or plays less, stays still, complains of pressure in the chest as if something was oppressing it.
Many times, children who play goalkeeper are patients who have asthma because they do not have to do as much physical exercise as the rest of the members of a soccer team,” says the specialist.
In addition, sometimes a very characteristic symptom is wheezing, which people call whistles that are perfectly audible.
Factors in the increase of allergic asthma
The expert explains that it is a complex disease because it has genetic and environmental factors.
Genetic factors derive from genes that the child receives of the father and the mother. If neither of the parents is allergic, there is a 20% probability of suffering from it, if only one is, the probability is 33% and if both are allergic, it rises to 66%.
Some of the environmental factors are increased air pollution, sedentary lifestyle, spending much more time indoors compared to the time previously spent, changes towards less healthy diets, respiratory infections, etc.
Recommendations for parents
The specialist advises that parents should be well acquainted with the disease allergic asthma.
They need to know that it is an inflammatory disease, therefore, it is important to offer treatment that controls this inflammation and not use bronchodilators exclusively to control the patient’s crisis.
They should also learn how to identify an asthma attack, the symptoms their child may have, what their child’s specific triggers are, etc.
In addition, it is important to know that exercise and pollution can cause asthma and, in the case of adolescents, smoking, whether active or passive, can trigger the crisis.
“This does not mean that children should stop exercising, quite the opposite, but both parents and children should be aware that it can cause illness,” explains the expert.
Public health strategies
The SEAIC president says measures should be implemented at national or even global level.
He explains that educational programs are being developed for families and patients on management, identification of triggers and quitting the tobacco habit.
The expert also believes that it is essential to train specialized nurses, take measures to reduce pollution and smoking, and intervene in schools with programs to improve the environment and nutrition of children.
It also emphasizes the need for a early diagnosis and telemedicine, which can help with faster and more efficient consultations.
Public health efforts should remain focused on measures with the potential to improve lung and general health, such as: reducing smoking and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke, reducing indoor and outdoor air pollution, reducing childhood obesity and promoting a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, improving maternal and fetal health, promoting the administration of childhood vaccines and reducing social inequalities,” the allergists emphasize.
(With information from EFE)
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