THE number of pre-school children with wheezing disorders has doubled over the past 10 years, according to a study published today.

The rise in asthma and non-allergic breathing difficulties may be caused by changes in diet or obsessive hygiene in the home, a team of researchers reports. But it has ruled out increased exposure to traffic pollution.

Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in Britain. One in seven children - approximately 1.5 million - now has the disease. Some scientists have argued that the obsession with cleanliness is to blame. Babies and children are no longer in contact with the germs needed to prime a healthy immune system.

Others argue that fitted carpets, double glazing and central heating increase exposure to house dust mites.

The findings of a study led by Prof Mike Silverman, an expert in child health at Leicester University, are published in The Lancet.

He said that part of the increase could be due to a greater awareness of wheezing and asthma.

From Healthy.net