The good news is that after the whopping increase over the last decade(s), the incidence of allergies and asthma in the US and other developed countries may finally be stabilizing. The bad news is, it seems to be on the rise in developign countries that are rapidly becoming more and more industrialized, like India and the Asia Pacific.

"The rise may be due to a composite of things that we associate with a Western lifestyle, such as the way we eat, the way we build and live in our homes, and our exposure to chemicals," says University of Auckland pediatrics professor Innes Asher.

In the US, on theother hand, asthma cases seems to be levelling off. Dr. Normal Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association says the deaths due asthma are dropping and although the nhumber of asthma cases are still far from that of 20 years ago, the figures are encouraging.

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[Photo: DawnAllyn]