The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7315 p306
4 September 2004

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Asthma prevalence is stable

In a survey in Aberdeen, parents of 3,537 primary school children (aged nine to 12 years) completed a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and diagnoses of asthma, eczema and hay fever. Similar surveys over the past 35 years have shown a marked increase in asthma prevalence. The new data, for 1999, show little change in prevalence of asthma or wheeze since 1994. Even so, around one-quarter of children have been diagnosed as having asthma at some time in their lives.

Hay fever and eczema were, however, more likely in 1999 than 1994, suggesting that the tendency for children to develop allergies is still increasing (British Medical Journal 2004;329:489).