Prevalence and risk factors of allergies in Turkey: Results of a multicentric cross‐sectional study in children

Abstract

The Prevalence And Risk Factors of Allergies in Turkey (PARFAIT) study was planned to evaluate prevalence and risk factors of asthma and allergic diseases and also to find out which geographical variables and/or climatic conditions play a role determining the prevalence of allergic diseases in Turkish school children. Study was planned as cross-sectional questionnaire-based. About 25,843 questionnaires from 14 centers were appropriate for analysis. Parental history of allergy, having an atopic sibling and other atopic disease in index case was significant risk factors for all allergic diseases. Breast feeding decreased the risk of current asthma (OR: 0.92, CI: 0.86-0.99) and wheezing (OR: 0.93, CI: 0.87-0.99) but not allergic rhinitis and eczema. Respiratory infection in the past was an important risk factor for the occurrence of allergic diseases especially for asthma which was increased 4.53-fold. Children exposed to household smoke were significantly at higher risk of asthma, wheezing, and allergic rhinitis (OR: 1.20, CI: 1.08-1.33; OR: 1.21, CI: 1.09-1.34; and OR: 1.32, CI: 1.21-1.43, respectively). All allergic diseases were increased in those children living in areas which have altitude of below 1000 m and mean yearly atmospheric pressure above 1000 mb. The study has suggested that household and country-specific environmental factors are associated with asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis, and eczema risk during childhood in Turkey.

An assessment of indoor air concentrations and health risks of volatile organic compounds in three primary schools

“…Ones et al (2005) reported that the prevalence of childhood asthma in Turkey varies between 3.8% and 12.9%. Meanwhile, a recent large-scale survey (more than 25,000 children in 14 cities in Turkey) showed that median prevalence values for asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis, and eczema were estimated as 13.4%, 12.6%, 17.3%, and 4.6%, respectively (Kurt et al, 2007).…”

Variable prevalence of allergic rhinitis and risk factors affecting the prevalence

“…Kurt ve ark. [11] tarafından Türkiye'nin değişik bölgelerinden 14 şehirde, 6-15 yaş grubunda yapılan 25.843 kişilik anketi içeren PARFAIT çalışmasında 6-7 yaş grubunda AR prevalansı kırsal alanda %22.7, şehir merkezlerinde ise %17.8 olarak tespit edilmiştir.…”

“…[84] Betonarme, izocamlı, santral ısıtmalı ve görü-nür şekilde küf bulunan evlerde yaşayanlarda risk artmaktadır. [11,36,85,86] Ev içinde fosil yakıt ve biyogaz kullanımı riski artırırken odun/kömürle ısınmanın genelde riski artırmadığı bildirilmiş-tir. [86,87] Aile ve anne-babanın sosyoekonomik düzeyi arttıkça risk artmakta, evde kardeş sayısı arttık-ça risk azalmaktadır.…”

“…[6][7][8][10][11][12][13]47,85] Sonuç olarak, son literatür verileri ışığında; AR prevalansının ülke ve bölgelere göre farklı bulunmasının, değişen genetik, diyet, yaşam tarzı ve çevresel nedenlere ilaveten bazı enfeksiyon ve spesifik hastalıkları geçirmeye bağlı olduğu görülmektedir. Dolayısıyla, etrafımızda değiştirebileceğimiz risk faktörlerinden ne kadar uzak durulabilir ve kaçınılırsa AR prevalansının o kadar azaltılabileceği düşünülebilir.…”

Correlations Between Allergic and Infectious Diseases – Results of the Latest German National Health Survey (NHS98) and the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)

“…of the respiratory tract [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and the ear [9] actually increase the risk rather than reducing it. But here, too, there are qualifications.…”