PREVALANCE OF ASTHMA AND ALLERGIC DISEASES IN MID-ANATOLIA

Abstract

Objective: Allergic diseases are commonly seen in childhood. In this study the prevalences of asthma and other allergic diseases were investigated among the school children in Sivas in the year 2008. Material and Method: The questionnaire was based on the "International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)" questionnaires. If children were younger than 12 years the questionnaire was distributed to children by their teachers at school and was filled out by their parents. Results: Mean age of 1947 children was 10.28 +/- 2.24 (7-16), 50.9%of them were girls and 49.1%were boys. lifetime wheezing rate was 26.8%, physician-diagnosed asthma was 10.1%, allergic rhinitis was 25.2%, and allergic dermatitis was %28.3. The asthmatic subjects also reported the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (4.7%), conjunctivitis (4.2%) and dermatitis (4.3%). Conclusion: We determined the prevalence of asthma and other allergic disease of primary school children between ages of 7-15 in Sivas. One should bare in mind that one or more allergic diseases such as rhinitis, dermatitis and conjunctivitis may be observed in a student with asthma depending on the relationship between those diseases.