Pulmonologists from the Dubai Health Authority-run Rashid Hospital have highlighted the importance of early diagnosis for effective management of respiratory disorders.

The information was disseminated via DHA’s #smart_clinic to more than 69,000 followers of the DHA page (DHA_Dubai) on Twitter, said a statement.

Dr Bassam Mahboub, consultant, head of Rashid Hospital’s pulmonology unit, said: “Allergies are on the increase in the UAE and a lack of knowledge about them could lead to a rise in the number of asthma sufferers.The prevalence of allergies is higher in the GCC region as compared to other parts of the world. Allergies include skin, eye, nose and airway allergy.  

“More than 20 per cent of students in UAE have some sort of allergy. This is due to congenital predisposition, environmental changes due to fast urbanisation, exposure to junk food, food preservatives and food colouring.”

Allergic rhinitis is the most common trigger for asthma, said Dr Mahboub.

About 8.5 to 10 per cent of adults and almost 15 per cent of children in UAE are asthmatic and about 20 per cent of adults and 30 per cent of children have allergic rhinitis, he said.

Bronchial asthma is chronic airflow inflammation characterised by recurrent respiratory symptoms like cough, chest tightness, wheezing.

It is associated with airway hyper responsiveness that causes narrowing of airways when the person is exposed to allergens like perfumes, dust mites etc.

Dr Mahboub said that studies show if a person is not treated properly for nasal allergies in the beginning they have a higher chance of developing asthma at a later stage if nasal allergies are not diagnosed early on it can cause asthma at a later stage.

“Nasal allergies are often mistaken for common cold and cough. Patients with symptoms such as runny nose and cough normally continue to take over-the-counter medications for weeks or even months together without addressing the root cause,” he said.

“In children it is absolutely essential to diagnose asthma early on to avoid sub-optimal development of the lung and in adults late diagnosis means asthma can become chronic and cause permanent narrowing of airways. Therefore, it is important for those who have persistent or recurring coughs and colds to get an allergy test done,” said Dr Mahboub.

Allergy tests include blood, skin and breathing test to confirm the diagnosis and to know what triggers an allergy, he said.

Dr Basil Saffarini, senior specialist pulmonologist at Rashid Hospital, said: “House dust mites, moulds, cockroach, bakhoor and other scents (incense), strong perfumes, cooking vapours and exposure to chemical fumes are the most common allergens.

“Viral infection can also trigger asthma and in people who have a genetic predisposition to asthma it can induce asthma.”

Some diseases mimic the symptoms of asthma but are not asthma, said Dr Saffarini.

“In children, these include viral bronchiolitis, cystic fibrosis, foreign body inhalation and wax in ears which can lead to chronic cough. Therefore, proper diagnosis is essential to ensure children are not unnecessarily put onto asthma medications. In adults, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, vocal cord dysfunction, central cord airway mass (benign or malignant) mimic the symptoms of asthma,” he said.

The pulmonology department at the Rashid Hospital is currently conducting a research to understand the link between vitamin D deficiency and asthma. The results are expected to be published in September. - TradeArabia News Service