A study of bronchial asthma in Malta

Abstract

This paper was read at the 12th Annual Clinical Meeting of the British Medical Association in Malta. The incidence of bronchial asthma in Malta is not well documented. Nevertheless, the general impression among practicing physicians in Malta is that the incidence of asthma in these Islands is high. This paper is based on a study of a personal series of 419 patients treated for bronchial asthma between 1964 and 1968. There were 217 males and 202 females. The age of onset was worked out for all the cases. It is interesting to note that in females, the age of onset extended over a longer period of time. Nonetheless the age of onset of asthma in the Maltese patients studied follows more or less the same pattern as that reported by other workers. It was also noted that many patients, who had asthma in childhood outgrew their asthmatic tendency at the time of puberty and started to have asthmatic attacks again in adult life. Results of skin tests showed that house dust and pollens were by far the most important allergens. In essence, the study reviews the relative findings with particular comparisons to other studies carried out overseas, also leading to the conclusion that Malta is not the ideal environment for the asthmatic patient who plans to come to Malta with the intention of improving his condition.