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Asthma and allergies are highly prevalent in Singapore. Our data shows that as many as one in 5 children in Singapore have asthma. Many of these do have allergic noses, skin and eyes as well. Allergies also play a key role in childhood asthma.
Our local studies also suggest that these allergic diseases do significantly affect the daily activities of our children.
Rhinitis interfering
with daily activities |
Percentage of children
with allergic rhinitis |
| Not al all |
26.7% |
| Little |
56.3% |
| Moderate |
13.4% |
| A lot |
3.6% |
|
|
Kept awake by
rash (eczema) |
Percentage of children
with allergic eczema |
| Never |
56.3% |
| < once per week |
29% |
| > once per week |
14.7% |
|
- Data from ISAAC Singapore Study 2001 from University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital
| In a study done by University Children's Medical Institute, school teachers reported that 37.1% of students were absent for 1 to 3 days and 5.1% missed school for 4 to 14 days a year because of asthma. |
|
No. of days absent
from school |
Percentage of
school teachers |
| Never |
57.1% |
| 1-3 days |
37.1% |
| 4-14 days |
5.1% |
|
| 65.4% of PE teachers surveyed reported an average of 1 to 3 students sitting out of PE classes because of asthma-related reasons and 15.1% of PE teachers had students who were exempted from PE for MORE than 3 months because of asthma. |
|
| No. of days students missing P.E. lessons |
Percentage of P.E. teachers with asthmatic students |
| 1-3 days |
65.4% |
| > 3 months |
15.1% |
|
In Singapore, there are also strong local traditional and cultural beliefs that do influence the management of these diseases.
Food and activity restrictions are not uncommonly imposed on children with asthma and allergies, often leading to unnecessary lifestyle modifications. This may impede the child's physical and psychological development.
Poorly controlled asthma can lead to:
- School absenteeism
- Restriction of physical activities
- Parental anxiety
- Increased medical bills
- Loss of productive work days for parents
Medical advancement has helped us increase our understanding of these conditions and enabled us to appropriately diagnose and manage these conditions optimally to enable every child to lead a normal, healthy and unrestricted lifestyle despite asthma and allergies.
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