Tuesday, June 8, 1999 Published at 10:56 GMT 11:56 UK
Childhood asthma soars
Researchers are exploring whether diesel engines are to blame
Asthma and wheezing in young children has almost doubled in less than a decade, according to figures from the National Asthma Campaign (NAC).
The number of children who had suffered wheezing attacks in the last 12 months also increased from 12% in 1990 to 23% in 1998.
Although manageable, the disease causes about 2,000 deaths a year in the UK.
One of the researchers, Professor Mike Silverman, of Leicester University, said: "The findings follow the trend in older children where there has been an increase in allergic disease.
"Smoking is unlikely to be related because the smoking reported by parents involved in the study slightly decreased over the years."
Prof Silverman said the researchers were exploring the possibility that air pollution from ultra-fine particles produced by diesel engines may be responsible.
The NAC's annual audit of the impact of asthma estimates that one in seven children aged between two and 15 - a total of more than 1.5 million children - has asthma symptoms currently requiring treatment.
In addition, at least one in 25 adults has asthma symptoms currently requiring treatment.
The NAC estimates that the total cost of asthma to the UK is now in excess of £2bn a year.
NAC chief executive Anne Bradley said: "The vision of the National Asthma Campaign is a world without asthma and from that perspective it is extremely worrying that asthma is increasing in prevalence."
Ms Bradley said tremendous progress in the treatment of asthma had been made over the last 10 years, but efforts had to redoubled.
Asthma is a respiratory condition in which the airways to the lungs are almost always red and sensitive.
Asthma attacks are triggered by a violent reaction to viruses, or to other substances to which the body is allergic.
Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, shortness or breath and tightening of the chest.
Scientists are unsure what is responsible for the increase in prevalence of asthma, a complex disease which can effect different people in different ways.
Some people can control their symptoms very effectively using an inhaler, but approximately 200,000 sufferers are registered as disabled.
Antiobiotics may be to blame
It is believed that the comforts of modern living such as double glazing and central heating may be partly responsible.
They create an environment of constant temperature and high humidity which is an ideal breeding ground for the house dust mite, known to be linked to asthma.
Another theory is that people eat too much processed food, and so are not getting enough of the vitamins and minerals needed to help the immune system fight off infection.
The widespread use of antibiotics may also have led to a weakening of the immune response.
Asthma is also linked to smoking in pregnancy. It can also be inherited.