Prof. Aziz Sheikh - The Sign of Three: An Investigation into the Epidemic of Itch, Sneeze and Wheeze

Professor Aziz Sheikh, Professor of Primary Care Research & Development and Co-Director of the University's Centre for Population Health Scientist, delivers the third lecture in the 2014 Medical Detectives series entitled, "The Sign of Three: Progress Report on an Investigation into the Epidemic of Itch, Sneeze and Wheeze".

In this lecture, Professor Sheikh will present a summary of the main culprits identified to-date and share his thoughts on where the investigation should now focus attention.

Recorded on 23 October 2014, at the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

[paulineward]

Interesting talk on allergic disorders inc asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis (hayfever). Amazing stats showing UK and Scotland in particular have the worst rates of childhood asthma in the world and some of the highest rates of eczema and hay fever too.

[xponen]

There's another allergy hypothesis that says allergy (asthma or food allergy) is caused by exposure to cockroach & rat proteins. This hypothesis has weight because a study in the US found either rat protein or cockroach protein or both in the filtered air from school classroom & canteen where all kids spend a lot of their childhood in. There's also studies to test whether air filter/purifier in classroom can be used to validate this hypothesis. So far I only listened to speech showing correlation between cockroach & rat proteins but I've yet to see result for the air purifier studies.