Males More Prone to Asthma

Males are more sensitive to allergens such as dust and pollen and therefore, are more prone to respiratory allergies like asthma.

Marking World Asthma Day, a new survey by SRL Diagnostics has shown that males are more prone to respiratory allergies like asthma, compared with females. Males were found to be more sensitive to allergens such as dust, pollen, food products, and fungi.

The survey showed that dust has the biggest allergic reactions in men (65.48 per cent) than women (49.39)

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It's a lung condition characterized by inflammation of the bronchi and constriction of the airways that result in coughing, wheezing or breathlessness. Allergy and other airway irritants can trigger it

‘Men have the highest reactions to allergens like pollens, wheat, grass and even insects like cockroach compared to women and therby are more prone to asthma.’

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.

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Adult and childhood asthma are caused due to inflammation of the airways, but differences exist in their intensity and triggers.

"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.

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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.

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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.

Source-IANS