Prague, Dec 30 (CTK) – The number of the families with allergy in the Czech Republic has been growing as in 1996 one-fourth of children had a family member suffering from it, but the figure surged to over one-half by 2011, experts from the National Health Institute have said.
The experts were tracking down the problem in a field study conducted in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011-2012.
They published the resulting report on a conference earlier this year.
The repeated survey observed the occurrence of allergy, asthma and respiratory problems diagnosed by a doctor in children aged five, nine, 13 and 17.
The study was conducted by 60 paediatricians in 18 towns.
The latest part of the survey, carried out in 2011-2012, confirmed an allergy in 29.7 percent of the children under observation, asthma in 9.6 percent, pollinosis in 11.8 percent and atopic eczema in 10.9 percent of the examined children.
A comparison has revealed basic changes in the characteristics of the observed families.
Between the first survey from 1996 and the latest from 2011-2012, the proportion of the children with an allergy in the family rose from 26 to 51 percent.
In 2016, the study will continue. In all, 7,000-8,000 children will be watched in 18 towns.
