RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Climate and the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic eczema in children
JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JO Occup Environ Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 609
OP 615
DO 10.1136/oem.2002.006809
VO 61
IS 7
A1 S K Weiland
A1 A Hüsing
A1 D P Strachan
A1 P Rzehak
A1 N Pearce
YR 2004
UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/61/7/609.abstract
AB Aims: To investigate the association between climate and atopic diseases using worldwide data from 146 centres of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Methods: Between 1992 and 1996, each centre studied random samples of children aged 13–14 and 6–7 years (approx. 3000 per age group and centre) using standardised written and video questionnaires on symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic eczema during the past 12 months. Data on long term climatic conditions in the centres were abstracted from one standardised source, and mixed linear regression models calculated to take the clustering of centres within countries into account. Results: In Western Europe (57 centres in 12 countries), the prevalence of asthma symptoms, assessed by written questionnaire, increased by 2.7% (95% CI 1.0% to 4.5%) with an increase in the estimated annual mean of indoor relative humidity of 10%. Similar associations were seen for the video questionnaire and the younger age group. Altitude and the annual variation of temperature and relative humidity outdoors were negatively associated with asthma symptoms. The prevalence of eczema symptoms correlated with latitude (positively) and mean annual outdoor temperature (negatively). Conclusions: Results suggest that climate may affect the prevalence of asthma and atopic eczema in children.