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  • Title: Prevalence of asthmatic phenotypes and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in Turkish schoolchildren: an International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase 2 study.
    Author: Saraçlar Y, Kuyucu S, Tuncer A, Sekerel B, Saçkesen C, Kocabaş C.
    Journal: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol; 2003 Nov; 91(5):477-84. PubMed ID: 14692432.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Numerous epidemiologic studies have revealed that bronchial asthma affects populations without regard to frontiers. However, standardized methodological approaches are necessary to compare these populations. OBJECTIVE: To investigate objective markers of childhood asthma on an epidemiologic basis and to include Turkish children in international comparisons. METHODS: Parental questionnaires were collected and skin prick tests performed on fourth grade primary schoolchildren, aged 8 to 11 years, residing in Ankara, Turkey. Pulmonary function tests and bronchial challenge with hypertonic saline (HS) were conducted in children selected from this cohort with a stratified random sampling according to the presence of current wheezing. RESULTS: A total of 3,041 questionnaires were included in the evaluation. Skin prick tests were performed on 2,774 children (97.1%). A total of 347 children from this cohort underwent pulmonary function and bronchial challenge tests. In 18 (5.1%) of the 347 children, bronchial challenge tests could not be successfully completed. The prevalence values were 11.5% for current wheezing, 6.9% for physician-diagnosed asthma, and 7.7% for physician-diagnosed recurrent bronchitis. Population-based weighted prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) was 21.8%. Frequency of responses to HS was 38.6% among physician-diagnosed asthma cases and 30.5% among patients with current wheezing. Skin test positivity was present in 38.7% of the children with a diagnosis of asthma or asthmatic bronchitis, 35.0% of current asthmatic patients, and 19.2% of patients with current wheezing. CONCLUSIONS: Objective markers, in addition to the questionnaire-based prevalence figures, need to be used in epidemiologic surveys for asthma, especially in countries with inadequate health care facilities or problems with interpretation of the wheeze concept.
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