Background
Methods
World health survey (WHS)
Definitions of asthma
Definition of smoking
Regional differences
Statistical analyses
Missing data
Ethics
Results
Global burden of asthma
Asthma Prevalence (%)2
| ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Region1
| Country | Doctor Diagnosed Asthma | Clinical Asthma | Wheezing Symptoms |
Africa | Burkina Faso | 2.02 | 2.26 | 5.32 |
Chad | 3.68 | 3.94 | 7.64 | |
Comoros3
| 7.55 | 7.80 | 12.85 | |
Congo3
| 4.65 | 4.79 | 7.93 | |
Cote d'Iviore3
| 4.22 | 4.59 | 7.70 | |
Ethiopia | 2.00 | 2.00 | 5.53 | |
Ghana | 3.65 | 3.77 | 4.88 | |
Kenya | 2.86 | 3.12 | 6.22 | |
Malawi | 4.62 | 4.67 | 7.76 | |
Mali | 2.65 | 2.82 | 4.77 | |
Mauritania | 6.95 | 7.54 | 11.78 | |
Mauritius | 3.88 | 3.92 | 6.88 | |
Namibia | 3.16 | 3.39 | 8.14 | |
Senegal | 3.43 | 3.72 | 8.40 | |
South Africa5
| 5.92 | 6.09 | 12.40 | |
Swaziland5
| 8.74 | 9.69 | 15.37 | |
Zambia4
| 2.83 | 2.96 | 6.25 | |
Zimbabwe | 2.28 | 2.52 | 5.48 | |
Regional Sub-total
|
3.94
|
4.19
|
7.75
| |
Americas | Brazil | 12.44 | 12.98 | 22.56 |
Dominican | 9.63 | 9.97 | 12.39 | |
Ecuador | 2.03 | 2.13 | 3.83 | |
Guatemala4
| 2.26 | 2.42 | 11.95 | |
Mexico | 2.39 | 2.39 | 3.87 | |
Paraguay | 6.08 | 6.40 | 12.74 | |
Uruguay | 8.60 | 9.10 | 12.02 | |
Regional Sub-total
|
4.27
|
4.40
|
7.61
| |
Eastern Mediterranean | Morocco5
| 2.76 | 2.84 | 11.65 |
Pakistan | 3.12 | 3.13 | 5.02 | |
Tunisia | 2.74 | 2.79 | 7.21 | |
United Arab Emirates | 5.30 | 2.79 | 7.21 | |
Regional Sub-total
|
2.93
|
2.99
|
7.60
| |
Europe | Austria4
| 7.46 | 7.63 | 9.48 |
Belgium4
| 9.83 | 10.00 | 17.22 | |
Bosnia Herzegovina5
| 1.30 | 1.41 | 4.01 | |
Crotia3
| 4.38 | 4.57 | 8.66 | |
Czech Republic | 4.56 | 4.71 | 6.32 | |
Denmark4
| 9.50 | 10.19 | 15.40 | |
Estonia | 2.00 | 1.99 | 6.94 | |
Finland | 9.39 | 10.24 | 17.19 | |
France | 10.43 | 10.59 | 15.20 | |
Georgia | 2.09 | 2.15 | 4.83 | |
Germany4
| 7.58 | 7.55 | 9.25 | |
Greece4
| 6.60 | 6.84 | 10.14 | |
Hungary | 7.66 | 7.66 | 14.72 | |
Ireland | 9.41 | 9.19 | 11.39 | |
Israel | 7.59 | 8.54 | 14.98 | |
Italy4
| 6.05 | 6.26 | 8.98 | |
Kazakhstan | 1.43 | 1.47 | 3.36 | |
Latvia | 2.70 | 2.70 | 5.90 | |
Luxembourg | 9.16 | 9.44 | 16.63 | |
Netherlands4
| 15.17 | 15.32 | 22.71 | |
Norway | 11.05 | 12.32 | 15.05 | |
Portugal | 7.83 | 7.83 | 8.72 | |
Russia3
| 2.50 | 2.57 | 4.98 | |
Slovakia | 4.11 | 4.10 | 7.41 | |
Slovenia4
| 8.70 | 8.66 | 11.91 | |
Spain5
| 6.79 | 7.12 | 12.78 | |
Sweden | 20.09 | 20.18 | 21.60 | |
Turkey | 2.06 | 2.11 | 11.34 | |
UK4
| 17.59 | 18.15 | 22.59 | |
Ukraine | 2.77 | 2.90 | 11.13 | |
Regional Sub-total
|
5.1
|
5.28
|
10.71
| |
South East Asia | Bangladesh | 2.91 | 3.23 | 8.63 |
India3
| 3.16 | 3.30 | 9.63 | |
Myanmar | 2.36 | 2.41 | 3.47 | |
Nepal | 2.04 | 2.16 | 14.37 | |
Sri Lanka | 2.60 | 2.75 | 6.35 | |
Regional Sub-total
|
3.24
|
3.39
|
9.71
| |
Western Pacific | Australia3
| 20.96 | 21.51 | 27.39 |
China3
| 0.19 | 1.42 | 1.73 | |
Laos | 2.72 | 3.02 | 5.16 | |
Malaysia | 5.21 | 5.51 | 7.55 | |
Philippines | 7.21 | 7.46 | 11.01 | |
Vietnam | 0.82 | 1.04 | 2.05 | |
Regional Sub-total
|
5.85
|
6.17
|
8.88
| |
Worldwide (95%CI) | 4.27 (4.17; 4.36) | 4.46 (4.36; 4.55) | 8.61 (8.48; 8.74) |
Regional differences in clinical or treated asthma
Overall
% Among Clinical Asthma Population Reported Symptoms in Last 12 Months | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Country Regions | Prevalence (%) of Clinical Asthma | % Current Smokers | % Current Smokers | Asthma Ever Treated | % Wheezing |
Africa | 4.19 | 12.65 | 13.13 | 78.85 | 53.20 |
Americas | 4.40 | 22.20 | 23.28 | 82.62 | 38.12 |
Eastern Mediterranean | 2.99 | 19.41 | 17.52 | 85.52 | 54.45 |
Europe | 5.28 | 39.25 | 35.85 | 90.24 | 49.64 |
South East Asia | 3.39 | 30.23 | 34.11 | 78.00 | 57.86 |
Western Pacific | 6.17 | 31.46 | 28.38 | 77.11 | 50.84 |
Global | 4.46 | 23.46 | 23.33 | 81.91 | 49.69 |
Asthma symptoms
Asthma treatment
Prevalence of smoking
Discussion
Authors | Data Collection Period | Study & Survey Used | Definitions of Asthma | Sample Size | Countries Included | Age Groups | Findings of Asthma Prevalence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ECRHS (1996)5
| 1988-1994 | ECRHS | An asthma attack in the last 12 months or currently taking asthma medication | 137,619 | 12 | 20-44 | Ranged from 2.0% in Estonia to 11.9% in Australia with a median of 4.5% |
ISAAC Steering Committee (1998)3
| 1992-1996 | ISAAC Phase 1 | Self-reported ever had asthma | 721,601 | 56 | 6-7 and 13-14 | 11.3% in children aged 13 14 years and 10.2% in children aged 6-7 years |
ISAAC Steering Committee (1998)6
| 1992-1996 | ISAAC Phase 1 | Wheezing or whistling in the chest in the last 12 months | 463,801 | 55 | 13-14 | Ranged from 1.6% in Indonesia to 36.8% in the UK |
Masoli et al. (2004)4
| 1988-1996 | ISAAC and ECRHS | Various depending on the survey and country | Not reported | 76 | 13-14 and 20-44 | Ranged from 0.7% in Macau to 18.4% in Scotland |
Lai et al. (2009)18
| 2000-2003 | ISAAC Phase 3 | Wheeze in the past 12 months | 1,187,496 | 98 | 6-7 and 13-14 | 14.1% in children 13-14 years and 11.5% in children 6-7 years |
Sembajwe et al. (2010)13
| 2002-2003 | WHS | Doctor diagnosis | 308,218 | 64 | 18-99 | Ranged from 1.8% in Vietnam to 32.8% in Australia with an overall 6.0% |
To et al. (2011) (Current study) | 2002-2003 | WHS | Doctor diagnosis, clinical and symptoms of asthma | 177,496 | 70 | 18-45 | 4.3% doctor diagnosed asthma, 4.5% clinical asthma and 14.4% symptoms of asthma |