PERFUME RELATED ASTHMA IN PAKISTAN
*Dr. Syed Anzar Ahmed, Dr. Alvina Tariq and Dr. Amna Anzar
ABSTRACT
Background: Perfume fragrances are likely to cause allergic reaction and airway obstruction among the asthmatic patients. Moreover, other symptoms of the allergic reaction also include chest tightening and wheezing. Aim: The study aims to assess perfume related asthma among the residents of Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: The study has employed quantitative approach and recruited 120 patients from the clinics of general practitioners of all districts of Karachi. The age of participants were ranged between 20 to 30 years. Questionnaires were filled by the participants that included demographic details and other questions based on Likert scale. The participants were also told to rate perfume fragrance on the basis of multiple dimensions including; irritation, annoyance, and perceived intensity. Results: Majority of the recruited participants were males (62.5%); whereas, 37.5% were females. 31.7% of the participants had acquired asthma as a result of environmental conditions and 16.7% suffered from it since birth. The results clearly depicted that perfume fragnance is one of the major reasons that triggers asthma as it can cause airway obstruction, develop bronchial hyper-responsiveness, and increase activity of airway passage. Conclusion: Although perfume fragrance is one of the reasons for triggering asthma but there are many other factors that are inter-linked with initiating the allergic reaction.
Keywords: Airway Obstruction, Allergy, Asthma, Fragrance, Hyper-activity, Hyper-sensitivity, Perfume.
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