Asthma prevalence in children living in villages, cities and refugee camps in Palestine

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that asthma prevalence is generally lower in the Middle East than in more developed countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of asthma and asthma symptoms in schoolchildren in the Ramallah District in Palestine.In the autumn of 2000, 3,382 schoolchildren aged 6-12 yrs were surveyed in 12 schools, using the International Study for Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)-phase III, parents-administered translated questionnaire.The crude prevalence rates for "wheezing-ever", "wheezing in the previous 12 months", and "physician-diagnosed asthma" were 17.1, 8.8 and 9.4% respectively, with urban areas having higher prevalence rates than rural areas. Within urban areas, refugee camps had higher prevalence rates than cities. Yet, within the rural areas, the 12-month prevalence was lower in the deprived villages than other residences. Place of residence remained significant for asthma and asthma symptoms, after adjusting for sex, age, and place of birth.To conclude, children from refugee camps appear to be at higher risk of asthma than children from neighbouring villages or cities. The prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms in Palestine appears to be close to that of Jordan, but it is much lower than Israel, and lower than some other countries in the region, such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and more developed countries. This initial study is a baseline for a study on lifestyle and environmental determinants for asthma among Palestinian children.

Inhaler Technique Training and Health-Care Professionals: Effective Long-Term Solution for a Current Problem

“…Among children, the rates are also high and increasing. 33 Few patients with asthma use their inhaler devices correctly, with up to 75%, 43%, and 7% of patients incorrectly using MDI, Turbuhaler, and Diskus devices, respectively. 34 Basheti et al reported that, despite differences in Jordan's and Australia's health systems, pharmacists and patients from both countries had difficulty with using both Turbuhaler and Diskus devices correctly.…”

Childhood Asthma and Indoor Aeroallergens and Endotoxin in Palestine: A Case-Control Study

“…The initial prevalence and case-control studies have been described previously in detail (11,12). In brief, based on a parent-administered standardized questionnaire in 3,382 children 6 to 12 years of age 298 reported wheezing in the previous 12 months (cases).…”

“…As part of the International Study for Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), we have previously shown, in a cross-sectional study in the Ramallah district in Palestine, that the prevalence of wheeze in the past 12 months amounted to 8.2%, 7.2%, and 12.6% for children residing in villages, cities and refugee camps, respectively (11). Nested in this study, we carried out a case-control study to explore the as- sociations between a number of traditional risk factors and asthma (12).…”

Epidemiology of Childhood Asthma in Fayoum City (District) Egypt

“…Cairo is mainly an urban district surrounded by multiple industrialized areas and air pollution is one of the highest levels worldwide due to industrialization and heavy traffic, while Fayoum is a semi urban area surrounded by rural societies, and has less industrial areas 15 . In the Middle East, asthma prevalence was previously reported to be lower than in "developed" countries ranging from 5-23% [16][17][18][19] . In Gulf countries, bronchial asthma emerged to be one of the prevalent diseases especially in Saudi Arabia where asthma prevalence is approximately 24% 20 .…”