Materia Medica Malaysiana

Carpets linked to asthma

The increasing use of carpets and upholstery in Malaysian homes may be leading to more dust mites, and child asthma cases.
Kuala Lumpur Hospital consultant pulmonary and critical care physician Datuk Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai said the situation was compounded by poor ventilation due to lack of fresh air in homes.
"People are having less opportunity to air their rooms or place mattresses in the sun to kill dust mites," he told the New Straits Times.
He said seven per cent of adult Malaysians had symptoms of asthma, and 78 per cent of them fell into the category of mild asthmatics.
While Dr Jeyaindran’s theory has yet to be substantiated by research studies, he feels that the changing environment at homes and offices has contributed to an increase in dust mites.
Asthma results from a complex interaction between the individual and his environment.
He said studies had shown that asthma was a major cause of school absenteeism, which led to poor performance in school and lost working hours for parents.
Dr Jeyaindran, a member of the Global Initiative for Asthma Assembly and advisory board, said asthma was also a problem regionally with at least 36 per cent of children absenting themselves from school because of it.
He said 10 per cent of patients at the Accident and Emergency Departments in hospitals nationwide daily were asthmatics.