Study shows rise in child asthma halted
11 April 2003
A halt in the rising prevalence of childhood asthma in Australia has been reported for the first time.
A 20-year study presented at the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand's meeting in Adelaide this week reveals prevalence of childhood asthma has plateaued or even declined in the past decade.
'It is one of the first studies and the first Australian study to show the increase in childhood asthma has stopped,' said Brett Toelle, senior research officer at Sydney's Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
In 1992, 4 in 10 children had asthma, now it is 3 in 10 who have it.
Associate Professor Guy Marks, co-author, respiratory physician and leader of the institute's epidemiology group, said the drops were small but significant, adding that the findings could be extrapolated nationwide.
While Professor Marks said 'overzealous' diagnosis in the early 1990s may be responsible for a slight reduction in asthma diagnosis since then, it would not explain halting of the increase.
Woolcock and University of Sydney researchers measured respiratory symptoms in randomly selected samples of children aged 8-11 from primary schools in Belmont, NSW, in 1982, 1992 and 2002.
Last Reviewed: 14 April 2003
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 11/4/03
