Swedish children becoming less allergic
Child allergy is increasing in many countries but in Sweden it has declined in recent years, according to a major international study. Fewer children have asthma, hayfever and eczema.
"As far as Sweden is concerned, these results are encouraging," said doctor Hartmut Vogt at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Linköping to the Upsala Nya Tidning newspaper.
"But it's too early to say for sure that this is a trend towards reduced incidence of allergy among Swedish children."
Vogt was one of the researchers who carried out the Swedish part of the study, which in total covered half a million children in 56 countries.
In many countries allergies have increased. But there were several exceptions, primarily in countries where child allergy is more common.
In Sweden the number of asthmatic children aged 6-7 has fallen from 12.6 percent to 9.7 percent over the last seven years.
But child allergies are still more common in Sweden than, for example, in the Baltic countries.
The research is published in the latest edition of the medical journal The Lancet.
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"As far as Sweden is concerned, these results are encouraging," said doctor Hartmut Vogt at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Linköping to the Upsala Nya Tidning newspaper.
"But it's too early to say for sure that this is a trend towards reduced incidence of allergy among Swedish children."
Vogt was one of the researchers who carried out the Swedish part of the study, which in total covered half a million children in 56 countries.
In many countries allergies have increased. But there were several exceptions, primarily in countries where child allergy is more common.
In Sweden the number of asthmatic children aged 6-7 has fallen from 12.6 percent to 9.7 percent over the last seven years.
But child allergies are still more common in Sweden than, for example, in the Baltic countries.
The research is published in the latest edition of the medical journal The Lancet.
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