The price of prosperity

Doctors now estimate that a quarter of Indians suffer some kind of allergy, which is often misdiagnosed. The rising prosperity of the last two decades could have something to do with it, writes Samar Halarnkar.

Doctors now estimate that a quarter of Indians suffer some kind of allergy, which is often misdiagnosed. The rising prosperity of the last two decades could have something to do with it.

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There is no specific data, but it is clear that the incidence of asthma and allergies, once seen as diseases of the prosperous West, is skyrocketing in India. Doctors now estimate that a quarter of Indians suffer some kind of allergy, which is often misdiagnosed. The rising prosperity of the last two decades could have something to do with it. Family histories of asthma prevalence are highest among the rich in India (88.2%) and lowest among the poorest (34%), revealed a 2013 study in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.

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