[Epidemiologic aspects of childhood asthma in Mexico. Asthma in the Child Study Group]

Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in children. Its epidemiological tendency is of great importance. In this study, we evaluated the statistical information available from 1987 to 1994 on childhood asthma from several medical institutions in Mexico. We found that: 1) the frequency of medical care provided to asthmatic children under the age of 15 in outpatient, emergency and within hospital settings, expressed as a percentage of the total care provided for each category, has remained unchanged in almost all of the institutions reviewed, whereas the national mortality rate due to asthma has decreased from 3.5/100,000 inhabitants in 1987 to 2.9 in 1993, 2) the frequency of healthcare provided to asthmatics decreases between the ages of 15 to 24; 3) the disease occurs more frequently among males under 15 and in females over that age, 4) from August to November there was a significant rise in care provided for asthmatics in outpatient, emergency and hospital settings in Mexico City and almost every state studied; and 5) the frequency of care for asthmatics increases according to an increase in geographical altitude levels.