EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ASTHMA IN CHILDHOOD - AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON

Asthma is one of the most common childhood diseases and is important b oth from a medical as well as an economic standpoint. Information abou t the frequency of asthma varies greatly, and there are many factors t hat make a comparison of the more than 140 studies from around the wor ld difficult. Since the 1980's in Germany there have been many estimat es of asthma prevalence, which depending on the definition of asthma g ive a lifetime prevalence of 5 - 10% among children. Despite many meth odologic problems in comparisons of available studies, it appears base d on available data that asthma is becoming more prevalent worldwide, and there are no clear explanations for this phenomenon. Possible fact ors include improved survival of preterm babies, changes in exposure t o allergens, influence of pollutants, changes in medical care or other unknown causes.