Friday, 16 October 2015
Hall D1 Foyer (Floor 3) (Coex Convention Center)
ABSTRACT No data on the prevalence of asthma in Afghanistan have been published before. In a school-based
survey the wheezing section of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood
(ISAAC) questionnaire was completed by a random sample of 1500 children aged 6–7 years and 1500 adolescents
aged 13–14 years old. The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 12.5% in 6–7-year-olds and 17.3%
in 13–14-year-olds (P = 0.002). The prevalence of wheeze in the last 12 months was similar in children and
adolescents (19.2% and 21.7% respectively). The prevalence of ever wheezing, night attacks, speech-limiting
wheeze and exercise-induced wheeze was 23.1%, 4.8%, 12.2% and 9.6% respectively in children and 30.5%, 4.4%,
13.0% and 13.6% respectively in adolescents. These rates are higher than those in neighbouring countries. This
first epidemiological survey of asthma in Afghanistan shows that asthma and wheezing are common in Kabul
students.
survey the wheezing section of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood
(ISAAC) questionnaire was completed by a random sample of 1500 children aged 6–7 years and 1500 adolescents
aged 13–14 years old. The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 12.5% in 6–7-year-olds and 17.3%
in 13–14-year-olds (P = 0.002). The prevalence of wheeze in the last 12 months was similar in children and
adolescents (19.2% and 21.7% respectively). The prevalence of ever wheezing, night attacks, speech-limiting
wheeze and exercise-induced wheeze was 23.1%, 4.8%, 12.2% and 9.6% respectively in children and 30.5%, 4.4%,
13.0% and 13.6% respectively in adolescents. These rates are higher than those in neighbouring countries. This
first epidemiological survey of asthma in Afghanistan shows that asthma and wheezing are common in Kabul
students.