Prevalence of allergic diseases in China

Abstract

The world-wide increase of allergic diseases is the consequence of drastic changes in life style, living environment, food and medical care. In China, allergic rhinitis, asthma, skin diseases (for instance, eczema, urticaria and atopic and contact dermatitis), conjunctivitis and several forms of food allergy are major recognized problems. Although we do not have exact national data for the prevalence of each allergic disease in China so far, there is definitely a growing tendency of their increasing prevalence. The exact mechanisms and determining factors underlying the increase in prevalence remain unclear, although allergen sensitization has been found to be at least as common in the Chinese region as in the West. Meanwhile, allergic diseases affect the human quality of life with the same magnitude as cardio-vascular diseases. With the projected growth of the Chinese population over the next decade, the burden of allergic diseases is expected to increase considerably. There is a growing and world-wide need for strategies to identify, prevent and control the allergic diseases.