Written Answers. - Asthma Incidence.
Deirdre Clune
Question:
175
Ms Clune
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
if his attention has been drawn to the increase by 3 per cent in three years in the numbers of teenagers suffering from asthma; his views on this trend; the proposals, if any, he has to address the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16779/99]
Deirdre Clune
Question:
176
Ms Clune
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the study, if any, he has initiated to ascertain the reason Ireland is ranked among the top four in the world of asthma sufferers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16780/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 176 together.
There is evidence to suggest that the prevalence of asthma is increasing internationally. Some of this increase reflects a change in diagnostic practice while some represents a real increase in the condition. The reasons for the increase are unclear, as asthma is caused by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Worldwide research into the causes of asthma is ongoing and I hope that Ireland can benefit from this research. I should also explain that, in the past, precise medical diagnosis of asthma was problematic as the term was frequently used to cover a range of respiratory conditions, including bronchitis. In addition, as asthma is not a notifiable disease, there are no precise statistics available on the number of people with the condition. For the most serious asthmatic reactions requiring hospitalisation, data is available from the hospital in-patient inquiry system. The Deputy may be interested to see the data available in respect of teenagers aged 15-19 years for the years 1994 to 1997, which is set out below. These figures are based on principal diagnosis and include day cases and in-patients. It should be noted that information is not available from private hospitals and that a person attending hospital several times in a given year is counted separately in the statistics for each visit. Age 15-19;530, 1995;561, 1996;466, 1997;488. When the Deputy refers to a 3 per cent increase for teenagers suffering asthma over a three year period, I assume she is comparing a survey undertaken in 1992 of children aged four to 19 years where 11.9 per cent of those surveyed reported asthma, with the results of the first phase of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), undertaken in 1995, which involved children aged 13-14 years and showed prevalence values of 15.2 per cent. While any upward trend must be cause for concern, it is not possible to say with certainty whether the differences in the results reflects an increase in asthma prevalence or a difference in the administration of the surveys. As the Deputy indicates, however, the ISAAC study showed that, for asthma symptoms, the highest 12 month prevalences were from centres in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and this country, followed by most centres in North, Central and South America. The lowest prevalences were from centres in sev eral Eastern European countries, Indonesia, Greece, China, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, India and Ethiopia. While not directly comparable, the Deputy may also have in mind results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey of adults which also showed the highest asthma symptoms prevalence in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United States.
There is no doubt that the variation in the prevalence of asthma is striking between different centres throughout the world and I understand that the findings of the ISAAC study will form the basis of further studies to investigate factors that potentially lead to these international patterns. The Health Research Board is the statutory body with responsibility for health research in Ireland. The board considers all applications for funding and allocates funding to projects on a competitive basis, subject to the board's peer review process whereby experts in the field assess the merits of each individual project. I will raise the question of follow up or further studies with the Health Research Board and communicate directly with the Deputy in the matter.
