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Continuing decline in acute asthma episodes in the community
1Birmingham Children's Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK.
Archives of Disease in Childhood
|February 24, 2004
Summary
Acute asthma episodes in children rose until 1993, then declined steadily until 1999. This trend stabilized afterward, with no identified cause for the asthma changes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric respiratory health
- General practice surveillance
Background:
- Acute asthma episodes presenting to general practitioners increased through the 1980s and early 1990s.
- The peak incidence of childhood asthma consultations occurred in 1993.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in childhood asthma incidence.
- To report on asthma episode data from 1980 to 2002.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Weekly Returns Service (WRS) of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
- Analyzed trends in asthma episodes reported by sentinel general practices.
Main Results:
- Confirmed a consistent upward trend in asthma episodes from 1980 to 1993.
- Observed a simultaneous downward trend in asthma episodes across all regions and seasons from 1993 to 1999, followed by stabilization.
- No causative factors were identified for the increase or decrease in acute asthma.
Conclusions:
- Childhood asthma incidence peaked in 1993 and subsequently declined.
- The decline in asthma episodes correlates with a decrease in other respiratory infections.
- The stabilization of asthma trends suggests a potential shift in disease patterns.