Prevalence and severity of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in children from the Bangkok area: The Global Asthma Network (GAN) Phase I

BACKGROUND: As noted in the reports of ISAAC phase I and III, allergic diseases are very common in Thailand, especially among younger children. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this project are to study the prevalence and severity of the most common allergic diseases. i.e. asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema among children living in Bangkok. METHODS: A cross-sectional multi-centers survey using GAN Core questionnaires on asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema symptoms were completed by parents of children aged 6-7 years and children aged 13-14 years. RESULTS: The total of 6,291 questionnaires were eligible for the analysis. The cumulative vs. 12-month period prevalence of the three conditions for all children were: 24.4% vs. 13.5% for wheezing, 51.1% vs. 43.6% for rhinitis and 15.8% vs. 14.2% for eczema, respectively. The period prevalence of wheezing for younger children (14.6%) was higher than for older children (12.5%). Prevalences of severe wheeze and exercise wheeze were more common among older children (2.9% and 14.8%). The 12-month prevalences of rhinitis (43.6%) and rhinoconjunctivitis (16.3%) were higher in both age groups. Eczema, as the same to the other conditions, occurred more frequently in both groups (period prevalence of 14.3% and 14.0%) comparing to ISAAC phase III. CONCLUSION: Allergic conditions are very common diseases among children residing in Bangkok. There is an urgent need for an in-depth study to define epidemiological factors responsible for this increase.