How to Cite
Abstract
Background: It is widely recognized that the
incidence of allergic diseases is on the rise globally
Allergies in the population have impact on the
quality of life by interfering with the daily activities,
sleep disturbances, relationship problems etc.
Increasing frequency of allergic diseases in the
world are huge burden on economy. Identifying the
prevalence and characteristics of allergies among
medical students would provide constructive
information and implementation of preventive
measures.
Materials and Methods: This study is
descriptive cross sectional study and was conducted
among 289 students, (both male and female) of
MBBS with equal participation from first year to
final year students. Participants were selected using
systematic randomized methods. The data was
collected from February 2017 to June 2017 through
questionnaire based on the manifestations of the
Allergic symptoms. The frequencies were calculated
and data was analyzed using IBM Statistical
Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.
Results: Out of 289 students, 59% (n=171) have
allergic symptoms while 41% (n=118) 118 (41%) have
not any allergic symptoms. Among those, 120 (70%)
students have a positive family history. Dust is the
most common triggering factor in 50.29% of the
students. The frequency of nasal, eye, skin and
throat symptoms are 78%, 70%, and 49% respectively.
Conclusion: Government should take steps to
control dust in the environment by continuous
monitoring of air quality across the major industrial
and urban areas. Health education regarding
environmental pollution is required at individual
and collective level to tackle the menace of air
pollution.
Keywords: Allergic symptoms, dust, air pollution,
asthma.