A
NATIONWIDE SURVEY ON THE ASTHMA PREVALENCE OF 0-14 YEARS OLD CHILDREN
Chen YZ, Chen ZL, Ma Y, Lin LM, Liu YL
Asthma Clinic and Education Center of the Capital Institute of Pediatrics,
National Cooperation Group on Childhood Asthma, Beijing, China
Objective: To find out the
prevalence of childhood asthma.
Methods: A nationwide
randomized survey, covering 40 cities, on the prevalence of childhood
asthma was carried out by the National Pediatric Cooperative Group on
Asthma Research from June to October, 2000 including a population of 432483
children aged 0-14 years, with a missing rate of 1.23%.
Results: 9950 were screened out as asthma associated children by
means of questionnaire for the parents, physical examination and case
history review. Among them 7308 (73.45%) children, aged 3 or more, were
diagnosed as asthma of children; 1096 (11.02%) infants and young children,
aged less than 3, as asthma of infants and young children; 787 (7.91%) as
cough variant asthma; and 759 (7.63%) as questionable asthma (including
asthmatic bronchitis). The prevalence of the average accumulated asthma of
all the 0-14 years old asthma population (including asthma of older
children and of infants and younger children mainly) in the 40 cities was
1.94%. There was statistically significant difference in asthma prevalence
among the 40 cities, bring the highest in Chongqing (4.63%) and the lowest
in Xining (0.25%). 70.7% of the children had their disease onset before
three years old. 36 of the 40 cities had received the same kind of asthma
prevalence survey 10 years ago, which made a vertical comparison of the two
surveys available.
Conclusions: There has been a significant increasing trend of asthma
prevalence during the ten years, especially in the older age group. From
the data of present survey it was inferred that there has been quite some
improvement, although not ideal, in the accuracy of diagnosis and in the
practice of steroid inhalation therapy by the pediatricians in different
cities.