RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prevalence of allergic diseases in children living in rural and urban areas in Turkey
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP PA4391
DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2016.PA4391
VO 48
IS suppl 60
A1 Civelek, Ersoy
A1 Gökdemir, Yasemin
A1 Cakir, Banu
A1 Demir, Ahmet Ugur
A1 Kocabas, Can Naci
A1 Karadag, Bulent
A1 Karakoc, Fazilet
A1 Ersu, Refika
YR 2016
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA4391.abstract
AB Introduction: Knowledge of the prevalence of allergic diseases in rural and urban areas can contribute to the development of new hypotheses associated with the etiyopatogenesis of allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of allergic diseases in rural and urban areas in TurkeyMethods: 154 schools were selected randomly and asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) questionnaires of “International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood” were sent to schools by mail. After questionnaires were filled in by the families, they were posted back by school directors.Results: A total of 11013 students were contacted and 9045 (82.1%) of them were included to the study. 4144 (79,5%) and 4931 (84,5%) of students were contacted in rural and urban areas. Mean age of the children living in rural and urban areas were 8.4±1.3 ve 8,5±1.3 years old (p<0.001).Wheezing and ARC prevalence during the last year in rural and urban areas were 13.6% vs. 15.9% (p=0.003) and 28.4% vs. 28.1% (p=0.780), respectively. Lifetime prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma and ARC in rural and urban areas were 19,4% vs % 22,7% (p<0.001) and 14,2% vs 17,0% (p<0.001) respectively.Conclusion: The frequency of wheezing during last year, lifetime prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma and ARC were significantly higher than in urban areas. There was no difference in frequency of last year's ARC symptoms between rural and urban areas. The high frequency of doctor diagnosed diseases in urban areas may be associated with access to health services. The high prevalence of wheezing in urban areas can be explained by the hygiene hypothesis.