[Asthma attacks in general practice--epidemiologic markers and seasonal patterns in longitudinal observation]

The continuous registration of asthmatic attacks by the Swiss Sentinel Network "Sentinella" since November 1988 has been preceded by a pilot study which tested the methods of data collection and analysis. The original aim was (a) to use the incidence of asthmatic attacks as a possible indicator for the adverse effects of rising concentrations of air pollutants, and (b) to create a set of baseline data for future research in this field, i.e. data of asthmatic attacks for retrospective analysis of periods with increased levels of air pollution. Here, morbidity characteristics and seasonal patterns of asthmatic attacks as registered from November 1988 to May 1991, will be presented only. With regard to age and sex the data show that more than half of all asthmatic attacks occurred in children 0-14 years of age. Males outweigh females by roughly two to one, but the distribution becomes more even after adolescence. These results are in accordance with the literature (Table 1). Whereas hospital beds (hospitalisations) are occupied by a growing number of patients suffering from asthma, especially in children hospitals, the referral rate of children with asthmatic attacks by primary car physicians has remained relatively steady over the past three years (Table 2). Thus, it can be inferred that asthma, while a major problem in the hospital, is dealt with successfully by practitioners in the primary care setting. This is to the contrary of international trends which show an increasing referral rate for asthma. A differential analysis of workload from asthmatic attacks for general practitioners, internists and paediatricians is directing toward a rising incidence of asthma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)