Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

[The asthma].

This week Esti Corres wrote to us. She has had asthma since she was a child and says that when she was in school, she didn’t know anyone else who had asthma. Lately, on the other hand, he has heard about many children with asthma in his environment and even read the word epidemic from some media. He wants to know if all this is true...

We're not going to say if it's an epidemic or not, but we've been trying to find the data. And the data indicate that the incidence of asthma is not the same worldwide, but on average it affects 10% of children. It’s a relatively large number, and experts don’t agree. It is not known if there are more and more cases or if asthma is better diagnosed.

Asthma is a chronic, incurable but drug-controllable lung disease. Although it has a genetic origin, it is recognized that there are other factors that influence the development or not of the disease, such as pollution and tobacco.

Another theory to explain the increase in asthma cases is gaining strength lately: the hygienic theory. According to this theory, too much soap and detergents are used today, too many antibiotics are given to children, and the number of siblings in homes has decreased. All of this causes the child to have little contact with the bacteria and microbes that cause diseases, and the immune system does not learn to take care of itself. Hence the rise of asthma and allergic diseases.

Esti, we haven't been able to figure out if there's an epidemic or not, but at least we've learned that asthma and allergic diseases are on the rise.