Epidemiological Survey 6 Years Apart: Increased Prevalence of Asthma and Other Allergic Diseases in Schoolchildren Aged 13-14 Years in Cluj-Napoca, Romania (Based on

Background: The prevalence of asthma and allergy has increased during recent decades. Objective: We investigate the prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases in children aged 13-14 years and we evaluate the trend of prevalence after an interval of 6 years. Material and methods: We used a core questionnaire designed by the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children. In 1991, the questionnaire was administered to 2,866 children from a Romanian city and during 2001 to 1,657 children from the same area. Results: The prevalence of asthma increased from 3.3% in 1995 to 5.5% in 2001 (p<0.001). In 1995, 4.3% of children reported asthma-related symptoms, significantly fewer than the percentage 6 years later (13.6%; p<0.00001). Similar results were obtained with regard to allergic rhinitis (13.6% versus 20%; p<0.00001) and eczema (11.5% versus 16.2%; p=0.00015). As far as gender differences are concerned, in the first stage of study all three allergic disorders were found to occur more frequently in females. In the study undertaken in 2001, females proved to have a higher prevalence of asthma (p=0.226), but a lower prevalence for allergic rhinitis (p=0.121) and eczema (p=0.064). Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma and allergy increased significantly during the past 6 years.