ZURICH, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Written by an international group of 80 opinion leaders in asthma
Asthma is a major public health problem affecting 300 million patients around the world. Its prevalence and impact are particularly on the rise in urbanized regions and expanding worldwide, associated with environmental and lifestyle changes. With a projected surge in the world's urban population by 2025 it is estimated that a further 100 million people will suffer from asthma, adding to the number of current sufferers. This will represent the most prevalent chronic childhood disease and results in one of the highest causes of health care costs.
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Many economic and political factors impact the efficiency of asthma prevention. Examples include poverty, poor education and infrastructure, low public health priority and a lack of solid global data on morbidity and mortality from asthma.
To tackle this huge global health problem the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) has decided to publish a "Global Atlas of Asthma". This Atlas aims to provide a platform for strategic planning for asthma in a multifaceted way, integrating research, education and global policies. It aims to gather evidence which calls attention to the burden of asthma, to warrant its recognition as a high priority for national health strategies, to demonstrate the necessity for an increase in research, to evaluate the best ways to prevent and control the disease, to provide guidance on how to overcome barriers and to alert political bodies to ensure a truly global approach. The "Global Atlas of Asthma" has been written by an international group of 80 opinion leaders in asthma and includes 147 illustrations and 46 tables.
Prof. Cezmi Akdis President of the EAACI states that the "Atlas" will become an essential reference source for multi-sectoral usage, covering all aspects of asthma from epidemiology, mechanisms, risk and protective factors to management, prevention and control. It will serve as an educational tool for medical students, primary care physicians, allied health workers, patient organisations, policy makers, medical industry and the specialists dealing with asthma and other co-morbidities.
The Global Atlas of Asthma will be launched during the EAACI - WAO World Allergy and Asthma Congress 2013, 22 - 26 June 2013 in Milan.
EAACI
The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, EAACI, is a non-profit organisation active in the field of allergic and immunologic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema, occupational allergy, food and drug allergy and anaphylaxis. EAACI was founded in 1956 in Florence and has become the largest medical association in Europe in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. It includes over 7,800 members from 121 countries, as well as 42 National Allergy Societies.
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