PREVALENCE AND SEVERITY OF ASTHMA, ALLERGIC RHINITIS AND ECZEMA IN AUSTRIAN SCHOOLCHILDREN

As part of the international Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhoo d (ISAAC), the aim of our study was to determine the prevalence and se verity of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in Austrian schoolchild ren, using an international standardised protocol. A questionnaire con cerning symptoms and prior diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema was completed by the parents of 3581 children aged 6-8 years. 3 357 adolescents aged 12-15 years completed a written and video questio nnaire at school. We also measured airway responsiveness to 4.5% salin e in 519 adolescents selected from 8 randomly chosen schools. The prev alence of ''wheezing in the last 12 months'' was 9.9% (6-8 yrs) and 11 .9% (12-15 yrs), the prevalence of ''ever having had a diagnosis of as thma'' was 4.4% and 6.3% in the above mentioned age groups. While 80% of the pupils had mild asthma (defined as less than 4 attacks of wheez ing in the last year), 13% had moderate (4-12 attacks) and 7% had seve re asthma (>12 attacks). The 12-month prevalence of symptoms of allerg ic rhinitis was 13.4% (6-8 yrs) and 22.5% (12-15 yrs), a diagnosis of ''hayfever at any time'' was reported in 8.9% and 20.4%. The prevalenc e of a chronic rash in the past year was 6.9% (6-8 yrs) and 6.7% (12-1 5 yrs), while 10.4% and 5%, respectively, had had a diagnosis of ''ecz ema at any time''. Among 12- to 15-year-old adolescents in the entire study population (n = 3371), the calculated prevalence of bronchial hy perresponsiveness was 13.7%. The prevalence of asthma symptoms, rhinit is and eczema in Austrian schoolchildren is higher than that estimated so far and similar to other European countries except the UK. Further , the results show that the 12-month prevalence of asthma symptoms is twice as high as the lifetime prevalence of a diagnosis of asthma, sug gesting that the condition is frequently underdiagnosed.