Prevalence of asthma and symptoms association degree in the school population of “Sierra Norte de Puebla”

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of asthma in cities in the central part of Mexico ranges from 7% to 17%.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of asthma and to determine the degree of association of the symptoms with asthma as risk indicators for the diagnosis of the disease.

Methods: The “Questionnaire for the Diagnosis of Asthma for Epidemiological Studies” was applied to children who go to public elementary, middle and high schools of a population in “Sierra Madre”, to the north of Puebla.

Results: 3387 answered questionnaires were obtained; 47.7% participants were male and 52.3% were female; the ages ranged from 3 to 19 years of age, finding a general prevalence of asthma of 7.4%. The findings go from 9.4% of chest tightness to 28% of predominantly nocturnal coughing. Recurrent wheezing, chest tightness and recurrent coughing had the highest degree of association with asthma and formed the main risk indicators for the diagnosis in patients that are not identified as asthmatic.

Conclusions: The prevalence of the diagnosis of asthma was 7.4%, the individual prevalence of the symptoms is usually higher. The symptoms that showed the highest strength of association with asthma are the ones suggested by the diagnostic possibility of asthma.