[ad_1]
Asthma hinders the lives of 43.5 million people across Europe, according to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics and the International Respiratory Union’s 2019 Lung Facts study. Alarmingly, more than 11.8 million of these cases affect young people aged 0-17. Asthma is just one form of respiratory disease, but overall respiratory diseases represent a serious public health burden for the EU, with rising disease levels across the region.
Policy makers and experts from the healthcare industry gathered at the European Parliament for an event organized by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the MEP Lung Health Group that focused on pediatric respiratory health and the impact of respiratory diseases on young people. A timely discussion took place.
Explaining the focus on pediatric respiratory health, Professor Barbara Hoffman, Chair of the ERS Advocacy Council, reminded attendees that 25% of the EU population is between the ages of 0 and 17 years. This younger generation relies on older generations to advocate for them. Without it, they remain unheard in the debate. Young people, with their developing bodies and immune systems, are the most vulnerable in society. Professor Hoffman reminded participants that “the greatest burden of disease always lies with the most vulnerable in society,” which is why shining a light on their problems is paramount to preventing future public health crises. she said.
“We have to face reality: air pollution is a public health crisis” – Patrizia Toia (S&D, Italy)
Two important factors are known to be responsible for the increase in respiratory diseases in Europe. First, air pollution has long been closely associated with respiratory diseases. In the BAMSE study, in Stockholm, Sweden, he followed the lives of 4,000 newborns born between 1994 and 1996 from birth until they were 24 years old. Among several important results, it was found that the level of air pollution where children grow up has a profound effect on lung growth. .
“We have to face reality: Air pollution is a public health crisis,” said Patrizia Toia (Italy, S&D). Professor Zorana J. Andersen, Chair of the ERS Environment and Health Committee, presented the results of the 2021 survey based on the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines, showing that 97.5% of the EU population is designated as hazardous to human health. It has been found that they exist near the atmosphere. This is a clear issue that disproportionately affects children, as schools are often located in highly polluted areas, putting children at risk of health problems when exposed to pollutant particles. will increase.
Some members of society are disproportionately affected by these factors. “Social inequalities cause a greater proportion of respiratory diseases than any other disease,” Romana Jerkovic (S&D, Croatia) told the audience. Studies have shown that people from lower social classes are up to 14% more likely to develop respiratory illnesses than those from higher social classes. Senator Toia emphasized this point, highlighting how children from socio-economically disadvantaged communities face a higher risk of respiratory diseases due to inadequate access to health care resources. did.
Climate change has only recently been discussed as the second leading cause of respiratory diseases. Professor Hoffmann spoke about how climate change and health became central topics of discussion for the first time at COP28. Children are also more vulnerable to the challenges posed by climate change. “Children breathe faster and take in more air per unit of body weight than adults, so they are likely to inhale more pollutants and allergens,” Professor Andersen told the audience.
With temperatures in Europe rising twice as fast as in the rest of the world, Professor Andersen warned that the burden of climate change on children will continue to increase. “The accelerating effects of climate change are posing new challenges to children’s health, requiring new research and more urgent action.”
Europe is struggling to meet these challenges and lacks the capacity to treat younger patients. Professor Mariel Peinenburg says that in her hospital alone, more than 100 children are admitted to intensive care units each year with life-threatening asthma attacks, and sadly some do not survive the effects of the attack. This shocked the attendees. “Asthma is not an innocent disease,” Professor Peineburg reiterated. He explained to participants how asthma medications are available to prevent and stop asthma attacks, but there is still a lack of research into the drug’s potential in children under 12. , said that this is an impediment to commercialization.
“The greatest burden of disease always lies on the weakest members of society” – Professor Barbara Hoffman, Chair of the European Respiratory Society Advocacy Council
“We cannot compare the asthma of a 40-year-old obese woman to the asthma of a child with advanced allergic eczema. Therefore, study data in adults cannot simply be extrapolated to children,” Professor Peinenburg explained. .
Ed Powell, Chairman of the European Lung Foundation Youth Group, gave a personal account of how to deal with respiratory diseases. When he was only 5 months old, he visited the doctor complaining of a wheezing cough. Three years later, his parents were told that as Ed grew older his symptoms would subside, but nothing was done to combat the pain. At the age of 7, after many tests, he was diagnosed with bronchiectasis. Because of this disease, Ed suffered from frequent infections and was unable to live the life of his friends who played sports and camped because of the cold and humidity issues. This diagnosis was to be the beginning of the end of his journey. However, he faced many problems with drugs not designed for children at a young age, leading him to be treated with unapproved drugs. Now, thanks to physical therapy and medication, Ed lives a relatively normal life and is able to play the trumpet, sing in the choir, and run. However, his illness still has to be managed.
What needs to be done to protect children from the negative effects of respiratory diseases? Steps have been taken in the right direction to combat air pollution. Although the EU’s Air Quality Directive was hailed as a positive step forward, attendees were quick to warn that one law alone will not be enough to overcome the air quality crisis. It called for greater planning and a focus on the health impacts of air pollution and climate change, and highlighted the need to also focus on health within the Green Deal.
The most promising results of the BAMSE study showed that regardless of the level of exposure to air pollution during the first year of life, relocation to areas with improved air quality was associated with improved levels of lung function. Improving air quality makes a difference.
On a medical level, Professor Peinenburg says we can and will continue to treat children as best we can, but unless safe and effective medicines become available and the air they breathe improves, the same will continue to happen. He stressed that problems will continue to occur regularly. . “Early treatment in children continues to be effective in adulthood,” Peinenburg reiterated. Central to this was a call to focus on prevention, which Professor Hoffmann called “one of the best treatments.” The one thing everyone could agree on was that, as a society, Europeans had an obligation to change for the benefit of their children.
[ad_2]
Source link
