35% of Tehran's Children Suffer from Coughing, Wheezing, and Shortness of Breath

On Tuesday, February 5, the head of the Immunology, Asthma, and Allergy Research Center announced that the prevalence of asthma in Iran is 12%. Studies show that over 35% of children in Tehran suffer from respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. According to ISNA and IRNA news agencies, Mostafa Moein noted that asthma symptoms are slightly more prevalent in children than in adults, adding, "Unfortunately, the prevalence of these two diseases has been increasing over the past three to four decades, especially in developing countries." The head of the Immunology, Asthma, and Allergy Research Center identified air pollution as the main cause of asthma prevalence and regarded the research findings as a warning for metropolitan areas. In May of last year, he mentioned social factors contributing to the prevalence of asthma and allergies, stating, "Public health and nutrition, individuals' sanitary poverty, urban pollution, and the increase of polluting factors have been effective in the rise of these diseases." According to ISNA and IRNA, Moein pointed out that asthma prevalence is on the rise in 20 major cities in Iran. He also discussed the high treatment costs for allergy patients, stating, "Research conducted over the past eight years shows that the treatment cost for an allergy patient is 1.5 million tomans, which is currently much higher." According to Salamat News, Mehdi Najmi, head of the Asthma and Allergy Department at the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, stated in May this year that "chronic respiratory diseases rank fourth in causes of death in Iran after cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes." Additionally, according to ISNA, Maryam Mahlouji-Rad, scientific secretary of the third international conference on immunology, asthma, and allergy, discussed the prevalence of these diseases in Iran, noting that "immunodeficiency includes two types: secondary and primary. The secondary type includes immunodeficiencies due to malnutrition, diabetes, kidney failures, and AIDS, while congenital immunodeficiencies have a genetic origin, with a global prevalence of one in 10,000 people based on conducted studies." She emphasized that the primary (congenital) immunodeficiency is more prevalent in Iran, particularly in provinces like Khuzestan where consanguineous marriages are common, leading to an increasing trend of this disease. In this context, it has been noted that infants raised with dogs "are less likely to develop asthma," while air pollution increases the likelihood of mortality in Iran.