Allergy in India.

Abstract

India has recently overtaken China as the most populous country in the globe with an estimated total population of ~1.43 billion people, comprising approximately 20% of the globe. India is classified as a Low-Middle Income Country (LMIC) by the World Bank, and the nation shows great diversity and some sharp contrasts with high-income countries (HICs). Religion and culture, rural–urban divide, infectious disease burden, diet, breastfeeding, allergen and pollutant exposure all differ in India compared with HICs and are relevant to allergy. Most of our current knowledge regarding aetiopathogenesis and therapeutics in allergic disease has been generated from research conducted in HICs but the emerging data on allergic disease in India and other LMICs are fascinating. Striking features of allergy in India include very low rates of childhood eczema, asthma and food allergy but a high burden of drug allergy and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and diverse triggers of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.