There has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of allergic disorders, which have trebled over the last 20 years. This is highlighted in the International Study on Allergic Diseases in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase I and III data collected on 13-to 14-year-old children from the UK which now shows high prevalence of asthma (32%), hay fever and allergic rhinitis (40%) and eczema (9%) (Asher et al., 2006).
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