Allergic disease burden in Scotland

There are reportedly few reliable data on the overall allergic disease burden in Scotland, yet there are ongoing concerns about the quality of care provided to patients with allergic disorders in that country.

In a new piece of research, epidemiologists have undertaken the most comprehensive review of incidence, prevalence and outcome of allergic disorders in Scotland to-date. In the same study, the researchers aimed to investigate ethnic variations in the epidemiology and outcomes from allergic disorders in Scotland and to estimate the country's national healthcare costs associated with allergies.

The study focussed on the following conditions: food allergy; allergic conjunctivitis; allergic rhinitis; anaphylaxis; angioedema; asthma; drug allergy; eczema/atopic dermatitis; urticaria; and allergies not classified elsewhere. Data was obtained from national surveys, primary care data, prescribing and medication data, hospital admissions data and mortality data.

The data showed there were 12,210 incident cases of allergy in primary care in 2003–2004. Allergic disorders have been found to affect about one in three people in Scotland at some time in their lives, with eczema having the highest incidence. Over 4% of all GP consultations and 1.5% of hospital admissions were due to allergic disorders. There were 100 asthma deaths in 2005 (20 per million people). Data on ethnicity was either not available or too small to be analysed appropriately.

In terms of economic burden, the direct healthcare costs for allergic disorders were estimated at around £130 million per year, with the majority of these costs being related to asthma.

The study authors believe that since a very high proportion of children in Scotland now live with allergies, the disease burden associated with these conditions is likely to persist for many decades. They also recommend continued monitoring of allergic disease trends to provide the data needed to inform clinical studies of allergic disease prevention and management.

Reference: Anandan et al. 2009 J R Soc Med. Vol 102 pp. 431-442.