Friday, 16 October 2015
Hall D1 Foyer (Floor 3) (Coex Convention Center)
Background: Recent investigations suggested that the trend of childhood asthma has been stabilizing or even
reversing in some countries. The observation provides contrast to our experience. Thus, the study aimed to
investigate the prevalence and clinical features of asthma in children aged 0–14 years in Qingdao China, determine
the changes of childhood asthma in China, and discover evidence that can allow better diagnosis and treatment of
childhood asthma.
Methods: A cluster sampling method was used. We randomly extracted the investigation clusters from schools,
kindergartens, and communities in Qingdao. Subsequently, we interviewed the members of the clusters using a
questionnaire from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) to find children with
asthmatic symptoms. After determination by the doctors, more details on the asthmatic children were obtained by
asking questions from the National Epidemiology Study of Asthma and Allergies in China questionnaire to obtain
more details. We intended to survey 10,800 children. However, the actual number of children was 10,082.
Results: The prevalence of asthma in Qingdao children aged 0–14 years was 3.69%. The prevalence among male
children was higher than in female (χ2 = 24.53,P < 0.01). Among the asthmatic children, 68.0% had their first attack
when they were less than three years old. Moreover, 71.2% once suffered respiratory tract infections. For 95.7% of
asthmatic children, the asthma attack was first manifested as cough. Asthmatic children who used inhaled
corticosteroids (ICS) only accounted for 46%.
Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma in children aged 0–14 years in Qingdao China increased significantly based
on data obtained ten years ago (2000). Respiratory tract infections were the most important precursors of asthma
attack. The attack was most commonly manifested as cough. The treatment, especially the use of ICS, was more
rational. However, a certain difference was found, which has yet to be contrasted with the Global Initiative for
Asthma (GINA) project.
reversing in some countries. The observation provides contrast to our experience. Thus, the study aimed to
investigate the prevalence and clinical features of asthma in children aged 0–14 years in Qingdao China, determine
the changes of childhood asthma in China, and discover evidence that can allow better diagnosis and treatment of
childhood asthma.
Methods: A cluster sampling method was used. We randomly extracted the investigation clusters from schools,
kindergartens, and communities in Qingdao. Subsequently, we interviewed the members of the clusters using a
questionnaire from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) to find children with
asthmatic symptoms. After determination by the doctors, more details on the asthmatic children were obtained by
asking questions from the National Epidemiology Study of Asthma and Allergies in China questionnaire to obtain
more details. We intended to survey 10,800 children. However, the actual number of children was 10,082.
Results: The prevalence of asthma in Qingdao children aged 0–14 years was 3.69%. The prevalence among male
children was higher than in female (χ2 = 24.53,P < 0.01). Among the asthmatic children, 68.0% had their first attack
when they were less than three years old. Moreover, 71.2% once suffered respiratory tract infections. For 95.7% of
asthmatic children, the asthma attack was first manifested as cough. Asthmatic children who used inhaled
corticosteroids (ICS) only accounted for 46%.
Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma in children aged 0–14 years in Qingdao China increased significantly based
on data obtained ten years ago (2000). Respiratory tract infections were the most important precursors of asthma
attack. The attack was most commonly manifested as cough. The treatment, especially the use of ICS, was more
rational. However, a certain difference was found, which has yet to be contrasted with the Global Initiative for
Asthma (GINA) project.