Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2007 Dec;17(4):384-393.

Prevalence of Allergic Diseases among Primary School Children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi and Changes of Symptoms After Environmental Control in 2005

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Collegy of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Department of Pediatrics, NHIC Ilsan Hospital, Korea. janggwangc@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr

Abstract

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and allergic conjunctivitis among primary school pupils in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. We also investigated change of symptoms after environmental control.
METHODS
In April 2005, a cross-sectional study was performed among 2,745 1st to 6th graders of 3 primary schools in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardized questionnaires and additional questionnaires about environmental changes were distributed to their parents.
RESULTS
Data were collected from 2,535 children (1,279 boys and 1,256 girls). The most common allergic symptom was rhinorrhea (43.0%), and atopic skin lesions, ocular lesions and wheezing were 24.5%, 19.7% and 18.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between allergic diseases and environmental status. One thousand four hundred nineteen children moved to a new place or had new interior decorations within the last 2 years. Of these children, 352 (24.8%) had allergic symptoms (OR=2.76, CI= 1.96-3.41, P=0.001). Interestingly, we found that children who had moved into apartments experienced more symptom changes than those who had not (P=0.022).
CONCLUSION
The results of this study demonstrated that the prevalence of allergic conditions in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province in 2005 was higher than those of nation-wide studies in 2000. We found the results of our study is similar to those of Seoul in 2005. We found a significant relationship between environmental status and changes of symptoms in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province.

Keyword

Allergen; Bronchial hyperreactivity; Pulmonary function test; Child

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Bronchial Hyperreactivity
Child*
Conjunctivitis, Allergic
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dermatitis, Atopic
Gyeonggi-do*
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Parents
Prevalence*
Pupil
Surveys and Questionnaires
Respiratory Function Tests
Respiratory Sounds
Rhinitis
Seoul
Skin
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