%0 Journal Article %A Grzegorz Brozek %A Jan Zejda %A Dawid Szumilas %A Agnieszka Jarosinska %A Agnieszka Idzik %A Weronika Bulska %A Magdalena Bonk %T Increases in the occurrence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in Polish children over the last 21 years %D 2014 %J European Respiratory Journal %P P4254 %V 44 %N Suppl 58 %X Background: Recent results suggest that trends in the frequency of asthma and respiratory symptoms depend on the region studied.Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze temporal trends in the frequency of respiratory symptoms and associated diseases over the past 21 years in school children from Silesia, Poland.Methods: We compared the results of four population-based surveys performed in the town of Chorzow in 1993, 2002, 2007 and 2014 in children aged 7-10 years. All four studies had the same study protocol, recruitment (cluster, school-based sampling), questionnaire (WHO respiratory health questionnaire), and principal investigator The surveys included 1130 children in 1993, 1421 children in 2002, 1661 children in 2007 and 1698 in 2014.Results: The results, covering a 21 year span, showed a statistically significant (p<0.05) increase in the prevalence of asthma and spastic bronchitis diagnosed by physician as well as attacks of dyspnea and symptoms induced by exercise (wheeze, dyspnea, cough).View this table:Conclusions: Our findings are in line with the concept of a real increase in the occurrence of asthma, in children. The pattern involves not only physician-diagnosed allergic diseases but also occurrence of symptoms related to respiratory disorders. %U