PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA IN DANISH CHILDREN AGED 8-10 YEARS

The aim of the study was to estimate the point prevalence of asthma in schoolchildren aged 8-10 y in the County of Copenhagen, Denmark. In a ll, 1040 schoolchildren were randomly chosen for the study and a total of 774 completed the study. The suspicion of asthma was based on a qu estionnaire about respiratory symptoms and on daily registration of re spiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) for 4 weeks. Th e conclusive diagnosis was based on interview, clinical examination, s pirometry and an exercise test. The prevalence of children with asthma diagnosed by their GPs was 31/774 (4.0%). A further 20/774 (2.6%) wer e diagnosed as baring asthma. There is evidence to suggest that asthma is less frequent in Denmark than in Great Britain, New Zealand and Au stralia.