RECURRENT EPIDEMICS OF ASTHMA BEGINNING OF THE
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL YEAR: AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION
Corbett S1, Sheppeard V1, Lister S1,
Henry R2
1 Environmental Health Branch, NSW Health Department,
Sydney, Australia
2 Department of Pediatrics, University of NSW
Objective: To investigate the determinants of recurrent
epidemics of childhood asthma at the beginning of the Australian school
year
Methods: Descriptive data on emergency room visits and
hospital admissions for asthma were obtained for NSW hospitals and from
hospitals along Australia's Eastern seaboard. The contribution of air
pollutants and climatic factors to these epidemics was assessed. A case
control study of children attending a tertiary paediatric hospital for
asthma during an epidemic period was conducted to determine risk factors
for epidemic asthma.
Results: Epidemics of childhood asthma in the first two
weeks of the school year are a recurrent phenomenon in along the Australian
East Coast. Pollutants and climatic factors may influence the magnitude of
these epidemics. Family size was a protective factor in asthma occurrence
during these epidemic periods.
Conclusion: An infective agent is the most likely
explanation of these recurrent epidemics, although environmental factors may
modulate their impact