Developments in asthma incidence and prevalence in Alberta between 1995 and 2015

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition affecting millions globally.
• Alberta's asthma burden was previously estimated using limited data.
• Validated algorithms enable robust epidemiologic asthma studies using health databases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine province-wide asthma prevalence, incidence, and mortality in Alberta.
• To analyze trends from 1995 to 2015 using validated asthma definitions.
• To provide comprehensive data for public health planning and asthma management.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Alberta Health administrative databases (1995-2015).
• Inclusion of all Alberta residents aged 0-99.
• Kendall's Tau coefficient test for statistical significance of trends.

Main Results:

• Asthma incidence decreased over 50% in males and females.
• Prevalence tripled from 3.5-3.9% to 11.6-12.3% between 1995 and 2015.
• All-cause mortality in asthma patients decreased but remained higher than in non-asthmatics.

Conclusions:

• Asthma incidence is declining while prevalence is increasing.
• All-cause mortality associated with asthma is decreasing but remains elevated.
• Health administrative data provides a valuable tool for asthma surveillance.