The prevalence of allergic diseases and atopy in Ankara, Turkey: A two-step population-based epidemiological study

To assess the prevalence of allergic diseases and atopy in adults, a two-st ep population-based epidemiological study was undertaken in Ankara, the cap ital city of Turkey. In step 1, a screening questionnaire adapted from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) was applied in a cross -sectional manner. In step 2, a nested case-controlled design study was con ducted and subjects were evaluated in the clinical setting for history, phy sical examination, skin prick tests (SPTs), and serum total IgE and phadiot op measurements. According to the results, self-reported current asthma pre valence in step 1 was lower compared with that in step 2 (3% vs. 7%, p < 0. 05). The prevalences of food and drug allergy were 6.2% and 3.9%, respectiv ely, in step 1, but were not demonstrated in any of the subjects in step 2. The overall prevalence of atopy was 25% after step 2 evaluation. In conclu sion, allergic disorders are not uncommon in our adult population; however, sole application of a screening questionnaire appeared to be ineffective i n revealing the accurate figures of asthma, and food or drug allergy.