Asia Pac Allergy.  2014 Apr;4(2):75-85. 10.5415/apallergy.2014.4.2.75.

Epidemiology of adult asthma in Asia: toward a better understanding

• Song WJ
• Kang MG
• Chang YS
• Cho SH

• KMID: 2397109
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5415/apallergy.2014.4.2.75

Abstract

Asia is the world's most dynamic area. Asthma is a major chronic disease in Asia, like other continents. However, unlike childhood asthma, the epidemiological burden of asthma in Asian adults has been unclear. Here we reviewed the currently available literatures on the epidemiology of adult asthma in the Asian community populations. Adult asthma prevalence was generally lower in Asian than in Europe, but the increasing trends suggested the disease burden to rise in the near future. However, for better understanding, it may be essential to prepare for the Asian multinational network for the standardization and collaboration of research.

Keyword

Asthma; Epidemiology; Review; Asia

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Asia*
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Asthma*
Chronic Disease
Cooperative Behavior
Epidemiology*
Europe
Humans
Prevalence

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Cross-sectional prevalence of adult asthma from nationwide studies in Asia. Reference label indicates the first author and publication year [9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 28, 38, 39, 44, 51, 57].

• 

  Fig. 2 Cross-sectional prevalence of elderly asthma in Asian countries. Reference label indicates the first author and publication year [10, 11, 15, 17, 20, 21, 25, 31, 32, 34, 45, 49, 51, 58].

• 

  Fig. 3 Geographical difference of adult asthma prevalence in Asian countries. The representative prevalence was primarily retrieved from nationwide data if available. Otherwise, the summation of local area studies were utilized as alternative.

• 

  Fig. 4 Changes in the prevalence of asthma in Asian adults. Reference label indicates the first author and publication year [38, 43, 44, 45].

Reference

1. Wikipedia. Asia [Internet]. San Francisco: Wikimedia Foundation Inc.;c2014. cited 2014 Apr. 10. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia.

2. Bloom DE, Canning D, Rosenberg L. Demographic change and economic growth in South Asia: The WDA - HSG discussion paper series on demographic issues. St. Gallen: World Demographic & Ageing Forum;2011.

3. Thompson PJ, Salvi S, Lin J, Cho YJ, Eng P, Abdul Manap R, Boonsawat W, Hsu JY, Faruqi RA, Moreno-Cantu JJ, Fish JE, Ho JC. Insights, attitudes and perceptions about asthma and its treatment: findings from a multinational survey of patients from 8 Asia-Pacific countries and Hong Kong. Respirology. 2013; 18:957–967. PMID: 23730953.

4. Braman SS. The global burden of asthma. Chest. 2006; 130(1 Suppl):4S–12S. PMID: 16840363.

5. Wong GW, Leung TF, Ko FW. Changing prevalence of allergic diseases in the Asia-pacific region. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2013; 5:251–257. PMID: 24003381.

6. Klaewsongkram J, Reantragoon R. Asthma research performance in Asia-Pacific: a bibliometric analysis by searching PubMed database. J Asthma. 2009; 46:1013–1020. PMID: 19995139.

7. Janson C, Anto J, Burney P, Chinn S, de Marco R, Heinrich J, Jarvis D, Kuenzli N, Leynaert B, Luczynska C, Neukirch F, Svanes C, Sunyer J, Wjst M. European Community Respiratory Health Survey II. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey: what are the main results so far? European Community Respiratory Health Survey II. Eur Respir J. 2001; 18:598–611. PMID: 11589359.

8. Agrawal S, Pearce N, Ebrahim S. Prevalence and risk factors for self-reported asthma in an adult Indian population: a cross-sectional survey. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2013; 17:275–282. PMID: 23317966.

9. Dejsomritrutai W, Nana A, Chierakul N, Tscheikuna J, Sompradeekul S, Ruttanaumpawan P, Charoenratanakul S. Prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and asthma in the adult population in Thailand. Chest. 2006; 129:602–609. PMID: 16537857.

10. Fukutomi Y, Nakamura H, Kobayashi F, Taniguchi M, Konno S, Nishimura M, Kawagishi Y, Watanabe J, Komase Y, Akamatsu Y, Okada C, Tanimoto Y, Takahashi K, Kimura T, Eboshida A, Hirota R, Ikei J, Odajima H, Nakagawa T, Akasawa A, Akiyama K. Nationwide cross-sectional population-based study on the prevalences of asthma and asthma symptoms among Japanese adults. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2010; 153:280–287. PMID: 20484927.

11. Jindal SK, Aggarwal AN, Gupta D, Agarwal R, Kumar R, Kaur T, Chaudhry K, Shah B. Indian study on epidemiology of asthma, respiratory symptoms and chronic bronchitis in adults (INSEARCH). Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2012; 16:1270–1277. PMID: 22871327.

12. Lu Y, Feng L, Lim L, Ng TP. Asthma, life events and psychiatric disorders: a population-based study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2013; 48:1273–1282. PMID: 23370618.

13. Mahboub BH, Al-Hammadi S, Rafique M, Sulaiman N, Pawankar R, Al Redha AI, Mehta AC. Population prevalence of asthma and its determinants based on European Community Respiratory Health Survey in the United Arab Emirates. BMC Pulm Med. 2012; 12:4. PMID: 22340199.

14. Ng TP, Hui KP, Tan WC. Prevalence of asthma and risk factors among Chinese, Malay, and Indian adults in Singapore. Thorax. 1994; 49:347–351. PMID: 8202905.

15. Chan-Yeung M, Zhan LX, Tu DH, Li B, He GX, Kauppinen R, Nieminen M, Enarson DA. The prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms among adults in rural Beijing, China. Eur Respir J. 2002; 19:853–858. PMID: 12030724.

16. Shi Z, Yuan B, Wittert GA, Pan X, Dai Y, Adams R, Taylor AW. Monosodium glutamate intake, dietary patterns and asthma in Chinese adults. PLoS One. 2012; 7:e51567. PMID: 23240044.

17. Wang D, Xiao W, Ma D, Zhang Y, Wang Q, Wang C, Ji X, He B, Wu X, Chen H, Zhang Y, Jiang Y, Yin J. Cross-sectional epidemiological survey of asthma in Jinan, China. Respirology. 2013; 18:313–322. PMID: 23121025.

18. Wilson D, Takahashi K, Pan G, Chan CC, Zhang S, Feng Y, Hoshuyama T, Chuang KJ, Lin RT, Hwang JS. Respiratory symptoms among residents of a heavy-industry province in China: prevalence and risk factors. Respir Med. 2008; 102:1536–1544. PMID: 18684604.

19. Wu F, Guo Y, Kowal P, Jiang Y, Yu M, Li X, Zheng Y, Xu J. Prevalence of major chronic conditions among older Chinese adults: the Study on Global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) wave 1. PLoS One. 2013; 8:e74176. PMID: 24069278.

20. Kim YK, Kim SH, Tak YJ, Jee YK, Lee BJ, Kim SH, Park HW, Jung JW, Bahn JW, Chang YS, Choi DC, Chang SI, Min KU, Kim YY, Cho SH. High prevalence of current asthma and active smoking effect among the elderly. Clin Exp Allergy. 2002; 32:1706–1712. PMID: 12653160.

21. Song WJ, Chang YS, Lim MK, Yun EH, Kim SH, Kang HR, Park HW, Tomassen P, Choi MH, Min KU, Cho SH, Bachert C. Staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization in a community-based population: a potential role in adult-onset asthma. Clin Exp Allergy. 2014; 44:553–562. PMID: 24444125.

22. Sonomjamts M, Dashdemberel S, Logii N, Nakae K, Chigusa Y, Ohhira S, Ito C, Sagara H, Makino S. Prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis among adult population in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Asia Pac Allergy. 2014; 4:25–31. PMID: 24527407.

23. Viinanen A, Munhbayarlah S, Zevgee T, Narantsetseg L, Naidansuren Ts, Koskenvuo M, Helenius H, Terho EO. Prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and allergic sensitization in Mongolia. Allergy. 2005; 60:1370–1377. PMID: 16197468.

24. Rahimi-Rad MH, Gaderi-Pakdel F, Salari-Lak S. Smoking and asthma in 20-44-year-old adults in Urmia, Islamic Republic of Iran. East Mediterr Health J. 2008; 14:6–16. PMID: 18557447.

25. Boskabady MH, Kolahdoz GH. Prevalence of asthma symptoms among the adult population in the city of Mashhad (north-east of Iran). Respirology. 2002; 7:267–272. PMID: 12153693.

26. Golshan M, Esteki B, Dadvand P. Prevalence of self-reported respiratory symptoms in rural areas of Iran in 2000. Respirology. 2002; 7:129–132. PMID: 11985735.

27. Alsowaidi S, Abdulle A, Bernsen R. Prevalence and risk factors of asthma among adolescents and their parents in Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates). Respiration. 2010; 79:105–111. PMID: 19439923.

28. Aggarwal AN, Chaudhry K, Chhabra SK, D'Souza GA, Gupta D, Jindal SK, Katiyar SK, Kumar R, Shah B, Vijayan VK. Asthma Epidemiology Study Group. Prevalence and risk factors for bronchial asthma in Indian adults: a multicentre study. Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci. 2006; 48:13–22. PMID: 16482947.

29. Chowgule RV, Shetye VM, Parmar JR, Bhosale AM, Khandagale MR, Phalnitkar SV, Gupta PC. Prevalence of respiratory symptoms, bronchial hyperreactivity, and asthma in a megacity. Results of the European community respiratory health survey in Mumbai (Bombay). Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998; 158:547–554. PMID: 9700134.

30. Jindal SK, Gupta D, Aggarwal AN, Jindal RC, Singh V. Study of the prevalence of asthma in adults in North India using a standardized field questionnaire. J Asthma. 2000; 37:345–351. PMID: 10883745.

31. Parasuramalu BG, Huliraj N, Rudraprasad BM, Prashanth Kumar SP, Gangaboraiah , Ramesh Masthi NR. Prevalence of bronchial asthma and its association with smoking habits among adult population in rural area. Indian J Public Health. 2010; 54:165–168. PMID: 21245589.

32. Bartlett E, Parr J, Lindeboom W, Khanam MA, Koehlmoos TP. Sources and prevalence of self-reported asthma diagnoses in adults in urban and rural settings of Bangladesh. Glob Public Health. 2013; 8:79–89. PMID: 23305210.

33. Lam HT, Ronmark E, Tuong NV, Ekerljung L, Chuc NT, Lundback B. Increase in asthma and a high prevalence of bronchitis: results from a population study among adults in urban and rural Vietnam. Respir Med. 2011; 105:177–185. PMID: 21030231.

34. Sherina MS, Rampal L, Mustaqim A. Factors associated with chronic illness among the elderly in a rural community in Malaysia. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2004; 16:109–114. PMID: 15624788.

35. Sundaru H. Epidemiology of asthma in Indonesia. Acta Med Indones. 2005; 37:51–54. PMID: 15879640.

36. Sy DQ, Thanh Binh MH, Quoc NT, Hung NV, Quynh Nhu DT, Bao NQ, Khiet LQ, Hai TD, Raffard M, Aelony Y, Homasson JP. Prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in Dalat Highlands, Vietnam. Singapore Med J. 2007; 48:294–303. PMID: 17384875.

37. Jan IS, Chou WH, Wang JD, Kuo SH. Prevalence of and major risk factors for adult bronchial asthma in Taipei city. J Formos Med Assoc. 2004; 103:259–263. PMID: 15175820.

38. Kim SY, Jung JY, Park MS, Kang YA, Kim EY, Kim SK, Chang J, Kim YS. Increased prevalence of self-reported asthma among Korean adults: an analysis of KNHANES I and IV data. Lung. 2013; 191:281–288. PMID: 23483196.

39. Hassan MR, Kabir AR, Mahmud AM, Rahman F, Hossain MA, Bennoor KS, Amin MR, Rahman MM. Self-reported asthma symptoms in children and adults of Bangladesh: findings of the National Asthma Prevalence Study. Int J Epidemiol. 2002; 31:483–488. PMID: 11980822.

40. Eder W, Ege MJ, von Mutius E. The asthma epidemic. N Engl J Med. 2006; 355:2226–2235. PMID: 17124020.

41. Anandan C, Nurmatov U, van Schayck OC, Sheikh A. Is the prevalence of asthma declining? Systematic review of epidemiological studies. Allergy. 2010; 65:152–167. PMID: 19912154.

42. Chinn S, Jarvis D, Burney P, Luczynska C, Ackermann-Liebrich U, Anto JM, Cerveri I, De Marco R, Gislason T, Heinrich J, Janson C, Kunzli N, Leynaert B, Neukirch F, Schouten J, Sunyer J, Svanes C, Vermeire P, Wjst M. Increase in diagnosed asthma but not in symptoms in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. Thorax. 2004; 59:646–651. PMID: 15282382.

43. Fukutomi Y, Taniguchi M, Watanabe J, Nakamura H, Komase Y, Ohta K, Akasawa A, Nakagawa T, Miyamoto T, Akiyama K. Time trend in the prevalence of adult asthma in Japan: findings from population-based surveys in Fujieda City in 1985, 1999, and 2006. Allergol Int. 2011; 60:443–448. PMID: 21593576.

44. Kim H, Oh SY, Kang MH, Kim KN, Kim Y, Chang N. Association between kimchi intake and asthma in Korean adults: the fourth and fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2011). J Med Food. 2014; 17:172–178. PMID: 24456368.

45. Ko FW, Lai CK, Woo J, Ho SC, Ho CW, Goggins W, Hui DS. 12-year change in prevalence of respiratory symptoms in elderly Chinese living in Hong Kong. Respir Med. 2006; 100:1598–1607. PMID: 16446081.

46. Wang HY, Wong GW, Chen YZ, Ferguson AC, Greene JM, Ma Y, Zhong NS, Lai CK, Sears MR. Prevalence of asthma among Chinese adolescents living in Canada and in China. CMAJ. 2008; 179:1133–1142. PMID: 19015564.

47. de Nijs SB, Venekamp LN, Bel EH. Adult-onset asthma: is it really different? Eur Respir Rev. 2013; 22:44–52. PMID: 23457164.

48. Fukutomi Y, Taniguchi M, Nakamura H, Konno S, Nishimura M, Kawagishi Y, Okada C, Tanimoto Y, Takahashi K, Akasawa A, Akiyama K. Association between body mass index and asthma among Japanese adults: risk within the normal weight range. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2012; 157:281–287. PMID: 22042357.

49. Song WJ, Kim SH, Lim S, Park YJ, Kim MH, Lee SM, Lee SB, Kim KW, Jang HC, Cho SH, Min KU, Chang YS. Association between obesity and asthma in the elderly population: potential roles of abdominal subcutaneous adiposity and sarcopenia. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2012; 109:243–248. PMID: 23010229.

50. Cheng HM, Kim S, Park GH, Chang SE, Bang S, Won CH, Lee MW, Choi JH, Moon KC. Low vitamin D levels are associated with atopic dermatitis, but not allergic rhinitis, asthma, or IgE sensitization, in the adult Korean population. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014; 133:1048–1055. PMID: 24388009.

51. Mishra V. Effect of indoor air pollution from biomass combustion on prevalence of asthma in the elderly. Environ Health Perspect. 2003; 111:71–78. PMID: 12515681.

52. Xu X, Christiani DC. Occupational exposures and physician-diagnosed asthma. Chest. 1993; 104:1364–1370. PMID: 8222789.

53. Choi MH, Chang YS, Lim MK, Bae YM, Hong ST, Oh JK, Yun EH, Bae MJ, Kwon HS, Lee SM, Park HW, Min KU, Kim YY, Cho SH. Clonorchis sinensis infection is positively associated with atopy in endemic area. Clin Exp Allergy. 2011; 41:697–705. PMID: 21488996.

54. Song WJ, Kim MY, Jo EJ, Kim MH, Kim TH, Kim SH, Kim KW, Cho SH, Min KU, Chang YS. Rhinitis in a community elderly population: relationships with age, atopy, and asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2013; 111:347–351. PMID: 24125139.

55. Van Cauwenberge P, Watelet JB, Van Zele T, Bousquet J, Burney P, Zuberbier T. GA2 LEN partners. Spreading excellence in allergy and asthma: the GA2 LEN (Global Allergy and Asthma European Network) project. Allergy. 2005; 60:858–864. PMID: 15932373.

56. Hwang CY, Chen YJ, Lin MW, Chen TJ, Chu SY, Chen CC, Lee DD, Chang YT, Wang WJ, Liu HN. Prevalence of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma in Taiwan: a national study 2000 to 2007. Acta Derm Venereol. 2010; 90:589–594. PMID: 21057741.

57. Makino S, Adachi M, Ago Y, Akiyama K, Baba M, Egashira Y, Fujimura M, Fukuda T, Furusho K, Iikura Y, Inoue H, Ito K, Iwamoto I, Kabe J, Kamikawa Y, Kawakami Y, Kihara N, Kitamura S, Kudo K, Mano K, Matsui T, Mikawa H, Miyagi S, Miyamoto T, Morita Y, Nagasaka Y, Nakagawa T, Nakajima S, Nakazawa T, Nishima S, Ohta K, Okubo T, Sakakibara H, Sano Y, Shinomiya K, Takagi K, Takahashi K, Tamura G, Tomioka H, Yoyoshima K, Tsukioka K, Ueda N, Yamakido M, Hosoi S, Sagara H. Research Group for Asthma Prevention and Management Guidelines. Epidemiology of asthma. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2005; 136(Suppl 1):5–13. PMID: 15981800.

58. Lai CK, Ho SC, Lau J, Yuen YK, Ho SS, Chan CH, Woo J. Respiratory symptoms in elderly Chinese living in Hong Kong. Eur Respir J. 1995; 8:2055–2061. PMID: 8666100.

59. Schachter EN, Doyle CA, Beck GJ. A prospective study of asthma in a rural community. Chest. 1984; 85:623–630. PMID: 6713971.