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Prevalence of childhood asthma in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2009
Shigemi Yoshihara1, Sonomjants Munkhbayarlakh2, Sohei Makino3
1Department of Pediatrics, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan; World Health Organization Collaborating Centre of Prevention and Control of Chronic Respiratory Disease, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
Insights
Childhood asthma affects 20.9% of Mongolian children, linked to maternal smoking and severe respiratory infections. Reducing household smoke and air pollution is crucial for prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood asthma is a significant global health concern.
- Limited data exists on asthma prevalence in Asia-Pacific developing countries like Mongolia.
- This 2009 survey provides crucial insights for current asthma prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of bronchial asthma in Mongolian children.
- To identify risk factors associated with childhood asthma in Mongolia.
Main Methods:
- A written questionnaire, adapted from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), was used.
- Parents of children aged 6-7 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, completed the survey.
- Data collected included asthma prevalence and patient background information.
Main Results:
- The estimated prevalence of asthma among Mongolian children was 20.9%.
- Key risk factors identified were allergic rhinitis symptoms, maternal smoking, and a history of severe respiratory infection before age one.
- Asthma prevalence in Mongolian children exceeded global and Asia-Pacific averages.
Conclusions:
- Higher asthma rates in Mongolia are likely due to indoor smoking in poorly ventilated homes and significant air pollution from industrialization.
- Urgent interventions are needed, including smoking cessation programs for mothers and families.
- Reducing exposure to air pollutants is essential for preventing childhood asthma in Mongolia.
Background:
Bronchial asthma is a common but important chronic disease in children in all over the world. To take measures against prevalence of childhood asthma, many researchers have surveyed the actual statuses of childhood asthma in developed countries, but in most Asia-Pacific developing countries including Mongolia such surveys have never been sufficiently conducted until now. We have thought that this survey, though performed in 2009, will give important and meaningful information even now in taking measures to prevent prevailing bronchial asthma in children in Mongolia or the countries under similar statuses.
Methods:
The asthma prevalence and patient background information in Mongolian children aged 6-7 living in Ulaanbaatar were examined using a written questionnaire modified for their parents from that prepared by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC).
Results:
The estimated prevalence of asthma in Mongolian children was 20.9%. The following 3 risk factors were found to be related to asthma: (1) having allergic rhinitis symptoms, (2) mothers' smoking, and (3) history of severe respiratory infection before 1-year-old.
Conclusions:
The asthma prevalence in Mongolian children was higher than that in the world and Asia-Pacific countries reported by ISAAC. The higher prevalence was probably attributable to households' (especially mothers) smoking in draft-free houses designed for the cold area and severe air-pollution due to rapid industrialization and urbanization in Mongolia. Smoking prohibition in the mother (including family members) and a reduction of exposure to air pollutants are urgently needed to prevent developing childhood asthma.
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