Asthma prevalence is increasing in developing countries

The prevalence of asthma is increasing in developing countries, said Dr Nils Billo, director of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Health, which organized the International Conference on Lung Health.

Asthma affects 300 million people worldwide, said Dr Nadia Aït-Khaled, head of the division of asthma Union.

Dr. Nils Billo, director of the Union, said there would be 100 million new cases by 2015.

According to him, asthma is primarily a disease of emerging countries, due to the westernization of lifestyles and urbanization.

Andwith these findings, Dr May El Tigany presented the results of a study conducted in Khartoum (Sudan), the city in which it operates, showing a 12.3% prevalence of the disease in the capital, against only 5% rural areas.

"The number of reported cases has doubled in Khartoum between 1998 and 2002," said Dr. Asma El Sony, co-author of the study.

Nadia Aït-Khaled expressed a study in Cape Town (South Africa), showing that the prevalence was higher among adolescents from families with high standard of living.

"In contrast, the severity of symptoms was higher among adolescents of the most disadvantaged social groups," she said.

Another study conducted in Casablanca, which replaced the standard of living by the level of education of the mother managed the same results.

Dr. Nils Billo said that the main problem was the price of drugs, according to him too high. Thus, the cost of one year's salary is 167 euros in Sudan, less than 240 euros in France but still very high in developing countries.

In many developing countries, the annual cost of treatment exceeded about one-third the annual salary of a nurse.

Estimates of the Union, this price should be less than 25 euros per year for patients in these countries can be treated.

Nils Billo hoped to achieve lower prices through the Asthma drug facility (ADF), a mechanism created in partnership between the EU and WHO. One of the objectives of the ADF will get medicines at the lowest price in a competition with the VPP.