A staggering fifteen per cent of the UAE population suffers from asthma, one of the most common allergies, according to Dr Bassam Mahboub, local chair of The Middle East-Asia Allergy Asthma Immunology Congress (MEAAAIC).

The doctor, who is the vice president of the UAE Respiratory Society, also notes that the percentage of asthma in children in the UAE is twice as higher than in adults.

The MEAAIC will be the first ever internationally-developed allergy/immunology meeting in the Middle East-Gulf region.

'Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airways disease. When asthma strikes, your airways become constricted and swollen, filling with mucus,' explained Dr Mahboub.

'Your chest feels tight – you may cough or wheeze – and you just cannot seem to catch your breath. In severe cases, asthma attacks can be deadly.'

In about 25 years, asthma will be one of the main killers worldwide, he added.

He pointed out that the figure is set to rise in the region as the environmental conditions deteriorate as a result of the high levels of air pollutions from cars, factories and construction activity.

“As pollen from trees, grass and weeds cause allergic rhinitis and asthma; there is also a need to grow different kinds of trees and grass to tackle this emerging public health issue,” he said.

'Allergic diseases like hay fever, asthma, skin allergies and food allergies constitute a growing health problem globally,' stated professor Ruby Pawankar, treasurer of the World Allergy Organisation and chair of the MEAAAIC.

'In Asia itself, 5-45 per cent of a population of 4 billion people, suffer from allergic diseases, an alarming figure that indicates that allergy is an epidemic of the 21st century.'

'Although data in the Middle East region is limited, the prevalence of hay fever, eczema and asthma is alarming.'

This would result in increased costs to healthcare systems and indirect costs due to loss of school and work days and poor performance leads to major socio-economic burden to countries, she added.

The MEAAIC, which will take place in Dubai from March 26 to 29, is co-organised by the Lebanese Society of Allergy and Immunology, the Asian Allergy Asthma Foundation, the Emirates Respiratory Allergy Society and the Dubai Health Authority.

More than 50 speakers from around the world will lecture on hot topics on asthma, rhinitis, food allergies, occupational allergies and skin allergies at the event.-TradeArabia News Service