The prevalence rates of asthma and of asthma symptoms are higher than those reported from studies conducted on UK children in 1992, new research data show.
Researchers from the universities of Sunderland and Dundee provided questionnaires to the parents of 3,000 children aged six to seven years from the north east of England. The 12-month prevalence of symptoms was compared with that determined from a national survey carried out in 1992 on 2,067 children aged five to seven years.
The researchers found that 22.7 per cent of children had had asthma at some time compared with 12.8 per cent in 1992, and 27.7 per cent experienced night time coughing compared with 16.4 per cent in 1992. Also, 29.6 per cent of children had suffered wheezing at some time, compared with 24.4 per cent, and 13 per cent experienced exercise induced wheezing compared with 9.8 per cent in 1992. "This confirms that the prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms in the UK is increasing," the researchers say. They add that their study would be a suitable baseline for monitoring future trends in the prevalence and severity of asthma among these children (Archives of Disease in Childhood 1999;81:313).