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C.R. Sukumar

HYDERABAD, Sept. 23

BANGALORE, the undisputed Indian capital for information technology, is also emerging as the `allergy capital' and, more disturbingly, even as the `suicide capital' of India.

Bangalore has been registering high number of cases of people suffering from allergy and respiratory disorders due to parthinium. It has a large number of psoriasis patients, currently estimated at over 60,000.

The increasing number of suicides in the city has assumed alarming proportions. Thousands of students and professionals reportedly commit suicide every year in the city.

The common reason for the increasing number of allergy and suicide cases in Bangalore is said to be growing levels of stress. The factors that add to allergy and respiratory disorders are weather conditions and pollution.

Dr Mukesh Batra, a well-known homeopath in the country, made these disclosures at his homeopathy clinic at Banjara Hills here. Dr Batra's Positive Health Clinic Ltd, the world's first ISO-9001 certified homeopathic healthcare corporate with 11 major clinics in the country has a record of treating over 25 lakh patients in the last two decades.

"While over 30 per cent of the Indian population suffer from allergies and respiratory disorders, the cases are increasing more in the metros and major cities across the country due to increasing levels of stress and rising pollution levels resulting from vehicular population."

According to Dr Batra, the fast-growing information technology industry in Bangalore is also responsible for increasing stress levels of professionals at their workplace.

Citing the Gallup poll sponsored by the Marlin Company in the US, which found that 80 per cent of the employees felt stressful at work, Dr Batra said the medical fraternity had come to realise that many disorders in the human body were either induced or maintained by stress.

Stating that corporate stress is one of the most prevalent forms of stress in modern society, Dr Batra said, "We believe that corporate stress is a disease syndrome, with its definite signs and symptoms. We have shortlisted eight symptoms for diagnosing corporate distress. These include increase in medical complaints, increase in absenteeism, grievances, accidents at work, interpersonal problems, customer service problems, resistance to change and lack of innovation."

Expressing concern over the increasing competition among students and the youth for careers, Dr Batra said young engineers in their 20s, fresh out of college, were finding better employment in top management cadres at multinationals faster than their experienced counterparts, and were more likely to suffer from the `burn-out syndrome' much before reaching their 40s.

According to Dr Batra, the four major disorders relating to stress and pollution were hair loss, skin disorders, respiratory disorders and stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression.

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