Women victims of domestic violence, particularly conjugal violence, would have a higher risk of suffering from atopic diseases such as asthma.
- Women victims of domestic violence are more likely to suffer from atopic diseases.
- Atopic diseases are due to hypersensitivity to the environment.
- Eczema and asthma are atopic diseases.
“Our results show that women [victimes de] domestic violence and abuse have a 52% increased risk of developing atopic diseases”, explains Dr. Joht Singh Chandan, author of a new study on this topic published in the journal The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. He details how he came to such a conclusion.
Domestic violence increases the risk of suffering from atopic diseases
To study the link between atopic disease and domestic violence, the researchers analyzed the data of 13,852 women who consulted a doctor because of domestic violence and compared them with those of 49,036 patients who had never experienced such an event. None had had atopic disease in the past.
Results: 967 participants who had consulted for domestic violence suffered from an atopic disease, an incidence of 20.10 cases per 1,000 patients. In the second group, without violence, they were 2,607, or 13.24 per 1,000. Scientists conclude that women victims of domestic violence have a 52% increased risk of developing atopic diseases.
“We tried to better understand the effects of domestic violence on health [des femmes] so that public health policies (…) can be further developed to not only fight against domestic violence, but also against side effects such as the development of atopic diseases”, specifies the researcher from the University of Birmingham.
Asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis, atopic diseases
The researchers specified that battered women had an especially increased risk of suffering from eczema, asthma and allergic rhinitis. They are identified as atopic diseases because they are linked to hypersensitivity to the environment. The body reacts – badly – to allergens and irritants such as dust, pollen, etc.
eczema is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, non-contagious, responsible for itching and which evolves by flare-ups. asthma is a chronic pathology characterized by permanent inflammation of the bronchi. People who have it have seizures during which they have trouble breathing. Finally the allergic rhinitis is a seasonal allergy linked to the production of pollen.
The conclusions of this study are important because domestic and marital violence is a global phenomenon with significant repercussions on the physical and psychological health of victims. As far as France is concerned, in 2019, 213,000 women aged 18 to 75 suffered physical and/or sexual violence committed by their spouse or ex-spouse, according to a report. government estimate.
