Prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in Athens, Greece
N. PapageorgiouMina GagaC. MarossisChr. ReppasPantelis AvarlisMartha KyriakouS. TsipraKyriaki ZeibecoglouGeorge D. Tracopoulos
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We determined the prevalence of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema among Brazilian children using the standardized protocol of the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) to facilitate the comparison of our results with other studies using the ISAAC methodology. We conducted a cross-sectional study from June to October 1994 to determine the prevalence of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema in 5182 school children aged 7-8 years and 13-14 years residing in the Brazilian towns of Santa Maria and Itabira (iron-mining cities located in Minas Gerais). Parents completed questionnaires at their child's school in the presence of trained interviewers. The cumulative prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma was 4.6% for all ages with no significant difference between the age groups. In general, there was a higher prevalence of symptoms in the younger age group than the older. The prevalence of wheezing in the previous 12 months was 14.3% (7-8 years old) and 9.3% (13-14 years old) (p ≤ 0.01), of chronic cough in the previous 12 months was 25.6% (7-8 years old) and 22.1% (13-14 years old) (p ≤ 0.01), and of nighttime cough in the previous 12 months was 22.3% (7-8 years old) and 19.4% (13-14 years old) (p ≤ 0.05). Overall the prevalences of asthma and wheezing symptoms in the previous 12 months were higher for boys than girls (5.2% vs. 3.9% for asthma, p ≤ 0.01, and 13.2% vs. 10.6% for wheezing, p ≤ 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that asthma-related respiratory illnesses affect a substantial part of the childhood population in Itabira and Santa Maria, Minas Gerais. Some factors such as male gender and younger age may be associated with an increase risk for chronic respiratory symptoms. Prevalences of asthma and allergic diseases in these Brazilian cities on the basis of self-reporting of symptoms and of one's medical history may more accurately portray the true prevalence of asthma than the use of medical records.
Cross-sectional study
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Abstract The authors investigated the link between children's temperament and the development of asthma and allergies. Prospective longitudinal data on children at the ages of 3-5 months, 3-5 years, and 7-9 years were collected. At age 7-9 years, analyses were performed on data for 3 groups of children (n = 42): those with asthma (no allergies), those with allergies (no asthma), and those with neither asthma nor allergies (the control group). Data for children who developed asthma or allergies prior to age 7-9 years were not analyzed. Differences were found in the premorbid period between the control group and the children who later developed asthma or allergies as well as between the asthma and allergy groups. After onset of illness, no temperamental differences were observed between the 3 groups. The study shows the importance of longitudinal design for asthma research.
Longitudinal Study
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Objective To survey the epidemiological situation of asthma in remission stage in Liaoning province,and provide evidence for preventing and treating asthma.Methods 800 patients of asthma in the remission stage were investigated through the questionnaire investigation.Results Onset age of asthma in Liaoning province was 30～40 years old.The sex ratio between male and female was 1 ∶ 1.34.The number of staff was the highest (25.75％).Most of the course of asthma was 1～5 years (33.50％).The number of patients who often receive treatments was 59 (7.38％)and the number of patients with allergy history was 531 (66.38％).Conclusion Prevention,management and treatment of asthma should be strengthened.
Key words:
Asthma; Remission stage; Epidemiology
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Environmental epidemiology
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Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease which is associated with higher levels of systemic inflammation. The causes of asthma remain poorly understood. Unhealthy diet and food allergy are potential risk factors for developing asthma. The prevalence of asthma in the Arabian Gulf region (AGR), and Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular, is higher than in other Eastern Mediterranean countries. In the AGR, diets tend to be of low nutritional value due to high levels of total energy, cholesterol, sodium, added sugars and saturated fat, and low levels of fiber, fruit and vegetables. A few studies that include children and adults in the AGR have suggested a potential link between unhealthy diets/specific food allergens and increased risk of asthma, however, the association of food allergy with asthma is still a controversial issue. The aim of this commentary is to consider the evidence from the AGR regarding the effects of diet/food allergy on asthma risk that may be used to make recommendations for future research.
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