PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA AND ATOPIC DISORDERS IN CHINESE CHILDREN – A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Wong GWK¹, Hui DSC², Fok TF¹, Zhong NS³, Chen Y.Z.⁴, Lai CKW²

Departments of ¹Paediatrics and ²Medicine & Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong ³Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou ⁴Clinical and Education Center for Asthma, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China

Objective: The aims of this study are to compare the prevalence of asthma and atopic disorders, and to assess the role of atopy in the development of asthma in schoolchildren from Beijng, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou.

Methods: Community based random samples of schoolchildren aged 9-11 year old from 3 Chinese cities (Hong Kong, Beijing and Guangzhou) were recruited for study using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase II protocol. Subjects were studied by parental questionnaires (n=10902), skin-prick tests (n=3479) and skin examination (n=3479).

Results: The prevalence rates of current wheeze, speech limiting wheeze, rhinoconjunctivitis and flexural dermatitis were significantly more common in Hong Kong than in Beijing or Guangzhou. The atopy rate was also higher in Hong Kong (41.2%) than in Beijing (23.9%) or Guangzhou (30.8%). Atopy was strongly correlated with current wheeze (OR 7.74; 95% CI = 5.70-10.51). Subgroup analyses of children from Hong Kong revealed that children born in Mainland China and subsequently migrated to Hong Kong have significantly lower rate of allergic symptoms and atopy than those children born in Hong Kong.

Conclusion: We confirmed that the prevalence of asthma, allergic diseases, and atopy were highest in schoolchildren from Hong Kong. Atopic sensitization is an important factor associated with asthma in Chinese children.

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