The Prevalence of Asthma Symptoms in Elementary and Middle School Students in Kurdistan Province, the West of Iran

Abstract

<strong><em>Background</em></strong> <br/>Asthma is one of the most important childhood diseases in developing countries. The prevalence, mortality, and economic burden of the disease have taken a rising trend since 1960, and this increase was more marked in children. The presents study aimed to assess the prevalence of asthma symptoms diagnosed by International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire in Kurdistan province, Western Iran. <br/><strong><em>Materials and Methods</em></strong> <br/>In a cross-sectional study, to collect the required data 4,000 questionnaires were distributed among student aged 6-7 years and 13-14 years; and the response rate was 97 percent. An ISAAC questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic variables, past health history, and respiratory health. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression and Chi-square test were use for analysis. <br/><strong><em>Result</em></strong><em>.</em> <br/>The prevalence of asthma diagnosed by physician was 3.9%. The prevalence of wheezing was 26.5% in the province in the past 12 months. There was a large difference between different cities in terms of the prevalence rates, so that it varied from 1.7% in Dehgolan to 8% in Sarvabad; hence, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). <br/><strong><em>Conclusion</em></strong> <br/>There was a relatively high prevalence of wheezing in the past 12 months and previous diagnosis of asthma among the students in Kurdistan province which was higher than that in other similar studies.