[craig1234564]

Researching I was surprised to find that asthma rates are high in NZ, higher than the UK and almost anywhere else in the world.
Is this a problem in NZ?
I would have thought that with low population/pollution asthma cases would be low?

[walshy]

Cold damp houses

[seattle]

Cold damp houses

yep and the lack of exhaust emission standards on cars.

[Familyofmonkeys]

Cold damp houses

This is probably the biggest factor. In the UK you have issues with keeping the air moist enough as central heating dries the air too much.

In NZ the opposite is true. Much of the housing stock is poor quality with very little or no insulation, single glazed windows, central heating is rare, with most people heating individual rooms or just the main living space by means of portable heaters, heat pumps (blow warm air out) or woodburners. This means that it can be hard to keep homes warm and dry enough, often with both day and night time temperatures way below the minimum WHO guidelines, meaning you are breathing in poor quality air and there is also a build up of mould spores in the environment, which can trigger asthma in many people. The more humid climate on North Island lends itself very well to mould growth. The other issue in built up areas is winter smog as a result of all the woodburners people use for their home heating.

All of these problems are exaccerbated by the ingrained cultural belief that kiwis are hardy, and should just put on another sweater if it's cold because 'winter doesn't last that long'. This is slowly changing and people are becoming more aware of these issues, with many people now realising the value of home improvements and insulation, but I can still look around this area of fairly reasonable homes (by NZ standards) and see some people living in run-down sheds because they would rather spend their money on a big boat than a house they only sleep in.

Don't let this scare you, however, because there are decent homes to be found, there is the option of building or renovating.....as long as you budget for those expenses. We have chosen to build a modest sized house that will be warm and dry with heating, rather than spend the same money on a bigger house which is colder.

[mcacmartin]

My son suffered horribly from his asthma back in Canada. We lived in a house that had black mould growing and the landlord refused to help. We couldn't afford to move somewhere else. In that town anyway ;)

Here in New Zealand, we've been lucky enough to get a house that is only a couple of years old and therefore well insulated and not damp. Combine this with an amazing amount of time spent outside in the fresh fresh air and his asthma has actually IMPROVED!

I'm shocked...though to be honest I'm sure if we lived in an older house this would not be the case.

[ENZ]

This question has come up a number of times. The statistics by country are as follows. Simply being in an English speaking country seems to be the highest risk factor.

Countries with the highest rates of asthma:

1. Wales
2. Australia
3. Scotland
4. Republic of Ireland
5. Canada
6. Estonia
7. New Zealand
8. United States
9. England
10. Malta
11. Norway
12. Denmark
13. Spain
14. Poland
15. Sweden........

Reference: http://www.asthmamonitoring.org/asthma_aust05_html/Figures/Figure%203p3.htm

[sweetpea]

The statistics above are for 20-44 year olds, not the population as a whole. A good resource is the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand (https://www.asthmafoundation.org.nz/in_new_zealand.php). They note that one in every four children in NZ suffers from asthma symptoms, and one in every 6 adults. This gives NZ the second highest asthma rate in the world by their reckoning.

I suspect that cold, damp, mouldy housing is the primary cause. Asthma here disproportionately affects the poor.

[ENZ]

That's interesting. We could therefore rearrange the asthma results to show:

1. UK
2. New Zealand
3. Australia

http://www.nationalasthma.org.au/content/view/592/1027/

It's possible cold and damp houses are contributory factors. There is evidence for other factors though.

Overweight women are 40% more likely to have asthma than women of lower weight. New Zealand's economically disadvantaged people, who are disproportionately affected by asthma, are also more overweight than the general population.

Asthma rates have risen in the UK, despite the fact that the quality of the housing stock has undoubtedly improved and there are fewer cold, damp houses. In fact, some people are blaming central heating (the opposite of NZ) for the problem.

It's a complex issue and I don't think there's enough evidence yet to identify a primary cause.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8217935.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_New_Zealand

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/pollution-is-not-sole-cause-of-asthma-rise-1450291.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/677423.stm

http://www.heal.com/asthma/asthma-basics#_edn2

[norma]

I recall something in the news recently, where the increase in asthma rates in children might be attributable in part to the administration of paracetamol to infants.

I've just found one of the news stories: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7623230.stm

[Familyofmonkeys]

Asthma rates have risen in the UK, despite the fact that the quality of the housing stock has undoubtedly improved and there are fewer cold, damp houses. In fact, some people are blaming central heating (the opposite of NZ) for the problem.

Yes, and it's quite an adjustment coming here are having to manage your living environment in an opposite way i.e. rather than adding moisture to the air to prevent night time coughing or wheezing (common symptom of asthma), here you generally have to remove moisture in the air to prevent build-up of mould and other allergens and be able to warm air temperature to healthy level.

Another contributing factor in the UK is car exhaust fumes. Housing might have improved, but as this has happened the number of cars on the roads have increased significantly, so more people can be triggered by pollution/allergens in the environment. I know the moment I stopped working in London and started working in a smaller provincial town, my asthma improved dramatically.

I would suspect the main contributing factors for asthma vary quite a bit from one country to another. I also wonder whether the countries with the highest asthma rates are partly due to recognising asthma and early diagnosis these days. When my parents/grandparents were growing up asthma was something associated with sicky old people or children that were failing to thrive....there was a stigma attached to it, if people believed in asthma at all.

[BkyMonster]

I've also read that cockroaches can be a contributing factor in asthma.
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2005/niehs-08.htm

[constablechuck]

I had chronic bronchitis (possibly asthma) as a child in the U.S. As an adult I rarely had any problems, since moving to NZ I have been to the doctors more times than I can keep track of. I bought an old house in rural Canterbury, but had it insulated, heat pump installed and even had an HRV system put in and I'm still having breathing problems. My kids have had some problems as well. I don't smoke, nor does anyone else in my house but there's definitely something in the air that's not healthy.

Another interesting fact about NZ is that it has the highest rate of bowel cancer per capita in the world. I know a 30 year old woman who is suffering from advanced stages of bowel cancer because early symptoms were misdiagnosed. I personally have developed severe bowel problems since moving to NZ nearly 3 years ago, I now have Diverticulosis and possibly Inflamatory Bowel Disease, I'm only 32 and never had the problems before moving to NZ. There must be something environmental / food related to this.

[newarrival]

Could the breathing problems have anything to do with allergies, i.e. plants/ flowers growing in your area?

Regarding the bowel problems- we are in NZ since almost 5 years now and none of the six of us have had any problems at all. Not sure if that tells anything, but I personally don't find the ingredients for food a lot different from Germany?:uhoh

[Wooly_Cow]

There is a link between the amount of meat eaten especially red and bowel cancer. Also if meat is burnt or cooked over an open flame it increases the production of carcinogens.

I suspect that the Kiwi diet includes a lot of meat and frequent BBQ's.

There is also a strong genetic link to bowel cancer in particular, so in a small population like New Zealand there may be a disproportionaly high genentic effect.

[Familyofmonkeys]

but there's definitely something in the air that's not healthy.


Even with renovations, there is still a chance that mould spores are remaining in your property as they are bloomin hard to eradicate. Or quite possible, you are being exposed to them in the work place etc. I have noticed that I become wheezy in some friends homes, mostly those that have older carpets or curtains/nets as opposed to blinds.

I'm was also told this week that another major trigger for asthma and allergies (especially immigrants, what have not been exposed before) is one of the yellow flowering shubs that are blooming at the moment.....sorry I can't remember the name :o

[Ngeru]

I'm was also told this week that another major trigger for asthma and allergies (especially immigrants, what have not been exposed before) is one of the yellow flowering shubs that are blooming at the moment.....sorry I can't remember the name :o

Wattle trees

https://www.asthmafoundation.org.nz/plants_and_gardening.php

[norma]

constablechuck - it might also be worth checking your property for privet. We had one removed from our property as it can be a major irritant. It was an enormous tree (not the bush-type privet found in the UK). They are viewed as weeds here so we didn't need consent to chop it down.

[Jo Jo]

I recall something in the news recently, where the increase in asthma rates in children might be attributable in part to the administration of paracetamol to infants.

I've just found one of the news stories: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7623230.stm

Yes I have read about this, too.

Up until the early 80s, aspirin was commonly given to children to treat fevers etc, but when a link was found between aspirin and Reye's Syndrome the use of aspirin for children was phased out, and largely replaced with acetaminophen, i.e. paracetamol or tylenol.

Asthma rates have risen enormously since this change, and it has been found that there is a positive association between the use of acetaminophen and asthma in children, at both a population level and individual level when other factors have been controlled for.

[GrumpyGoat]

Yes I have read about this, too.

Up until the early 80s, aspirin was commonly given to children to treat fevers etc, but when a link was found between aspirin and Reye's Syndrome the use of aspirin for children was phased out, and largely replaced with acetaminophen, i.e. paracetamol or tylenol.

Asthma rates have risen enormously since this change, and it has been found that there is a positive association between the use of acetaminophen and asthma in children, at both a population level and individual level when other factors have been controlled for.

I am really glad to see this discussed here.
This very topic came up (sort of) on another thread just the other day. Interesting to see it all brought full circle now here on this thread.

Just to further reinforce the great points that JoJo has made:nice1, I have some links on the subject.
Here is a link (http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20080918/baby_acetaminophen_tied_to_asthma) for an article about the acetaminophen/asthma link on WebMD

Here is a link (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15706003) for the abstract of the research paper on the subject.

[Jo Jo]

Here is a link (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15706003) for the abstract of the research paper on the subject.

The full text of that paper is available here (http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/127/2/604.full) (for free).