Respiratory Symptoms, Allergies, and Environmental Exposures in Children with and without Asthma

Agata Wypych-Ślusarska, Martina Grot, Maria Kujawińska, Maciej Nigowski, Karolina Krupa-Kotara (), Klaudia Oleksiuk, Joanna Głogowska-Ligus and Mateusz Grajek
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Agata Wypych-Ślusarska: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland
Martina Grot: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland
Maria Kujawińska: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland
Maciej Nigowski: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland
Karolina Krupa-Kotara: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland
Klaudia Oleksiuk: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland
Joanna Głogowska-Ligus: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland
Mateusz Grajek: Department of Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-055 Katowice, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Epidemiological data concerning the level of asthma morbidity indicate that in Poland, asthma is diagnosed in 5–10% of the pediatric population. Aim The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and allergies in a group of children with and without asthma and to evaluate the association between exposure to environmental factors and the prevalence of bronchial asthma in a pediatric population. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of 995 children attending primary schools in the province of Silesia in 2018–2019. The research tool was an anonymous questionnaire developed based on the form used in The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Children’s health status, the prevalence of bronchial asthma, and the performance of allergic skin tests were assessed based on parents’ indications in a questionnaire. Environmental exposures such as mold and dampness in apartments or ETS were similarly assessed. Analyses were performed using Statistica 13.0; p < 0.05. Results: A total of 88 subjects (8.8%) suffered from bronchial asthma. Parents of children with asthma, compared to parents of children without the disease, were more likely to rate their children’s health as rather good (43.2% vs. 38.0%) or average (21.6% vs. 3.1%). All analyzed respiratory symptoms, as well as allergies, were statistically more frequent in children with bronchial asthma. Conclusions: The parent’s subjective assessment of the child’s health varied significantly according to the asthma diagnosis. Asthma is also associated with other diseases: allergic reactions to pollen, house dust, hay fever, and AD (atopic dermatitis) were statistically significantly more frequent among children diagnosed with bronchial asthma.

Keywords: bronchial asthma; allergy; environmental factors; children; symptoms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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