JEDDAH, 8 May 2007 — There are two million asthma sufferers in the Kingdom with Taif, Hail and Jizan having the highest incidence, statistics recently released by the Health Ministry shows.
According to the ministry, 23, 22 and 21 percent of asthma sufferers in the Kingdom live in Taif, Hail and Jizan respectively, followed by Qasim (16 percent), Jeddah (12 percent) and the Eastern Province (10 percent).
The figures have raised the concerns of the Health Ministry, which is trying to increase public awareness about the illness. The National Scientific Committee for Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment has trained 75 consultants that specialize in immunology, pulmonary diseases and family medicine to diagnose and treat asthma.
A reference book about asthma has also been published by the Health Ministry and 60,000 copies were distributed in English and Arabic at both public and private hospitals across the Kingdom.
“The book defines asthma, lists its symptoms and diagnosis, and offers new updates every three years,” said Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Frayh, chief of the scientific committee and consultant pediatrician at the King Khaled University Hospital.
“The book is aimed at people working in the field of medicine and deals with asthma patients, including doctors, nurses and technicians,” he said, adding that since 10 to 20 percent of school students are asthma patients, cooperation between the Health Ministry and the Education Ministry is crucial to control the disease.
The plan is to increase awareness by providing information about asthma to teachers and students through regular lectures at schools. The varying incidence in different regions is indicative of the fact that the environment plays a huge role in causing asthma and other allergies.
“The environment plays an important role. People living close to agricultural areas are more prone to the illness by inhaling pollen. The problem increases more from October to December and from March until May,” said Dr. Al-Frayh.
A person’s genetics also plays an instrumental role in whether one suffers from the disease or not. Children, whose both parents have asthma, are 50 percent more prone to having asthma than children, whose parents do not have the illness.
Asthma symptoms start in early childhood between the ages of four and five. The disease then gradually disappears until the age of puberty when 80 percent of asthma patients are completely or partially relieved of the disease. “The immune system is usually strengthened after puberty,” said Dr. Al-Frayh.
