Rapid urbanization and population growth in sub-Saharan Africa has increased the incidence of asthma in young people, but the lack of diagnosis and care means that many young people are suffering from untreated symptoms of asthma, according to research from Queen Mary University of London. The team who led the study, whose pioneering research on the impact of pollution on lung health was instrumental in introducing the Ultra Low-Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London, are calling for better access to asthma diagnosis and care in areas of rapid urbanisation and population growth. Asthma is the second most common cause of chronic respiratory deaths in the overall population of sub-Saharan Africa.
The study led by researchers at Queen Mary and published today in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, is the first of its kind to determine the true prevalence and severity of asthma in undiagnosed, yet symptomatic young people in sub-Saharan Africa. The researchers recruited 20,000 school students between the ages of 12 and 14 from schools in urban areas in Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria. The first part of the trial screened for asthma symptoms – of the 20,000 students, 12% of the participants reported symptoms of asthma, but of that group, only 20% had received a formal diagnosis of the condition.
In the second part of the trial, the students who reported asthma symptoms were invited to complete a detailed questionnaire covering asthma control, current treat.
