The prevalence of bronchial asthma among adults in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Few data exist on the prevalence of asthma among Nigerian adults. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of bronchial asthma among adults in Ilorin, Nigeria. This study was conducted in Ilorin east and west local governments of Kwara State, Nigeria from October 2005 to April 2006. We recruited 810 subjects by the cluster sampling method. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) asthma-screening questionnaire was used to collect data. The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), force expiratory volume in one second (FEV1,), force vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC ratio were measured. Subjects with FEV1 <80% of predicted, FEV/FVC < 80%, or one asthma symptom were subjected to PEF variability testing over the course of one week. Asthma was diagnosed in subjects with either two or more recurrent asthma symptoms (current asthma) or physician-diagnosed asthma, as well as PEF variability of > or =10%. The prevalence of bronchial asthma was 15.2%, the male to female ratio was nearly 2:1, and the mean age of the asthmatics was 32 +/- 10.12 years. Current asthma and physician-diagnosed asthma were 12.7% and 2.0%, respectively. The most common complaint reported by the asthmatics was wheezing. The prevalence of bronchial asthma among adults in Ilorin in North Central Nigeria was high. It is important to increase awareness of the disease in this region.