Amarasekera N D D M, Gunawardena N K, de Silva N R, Weerasinghe A
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri Lanka.
Ceylon Med J. 2010 Mar;55(1):5-8. doi: 10.4038/cmj.v55i1.1700.
Atopic diseases in children are major public health problems around the world and the prevalence is increasing. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of atopic diseases in schoolchildren in the Western Province of Sri Lanka.
Children attending grade 5 in 17 schools in the Western Province of Sri Lanka were recruited to the study. Data were collected using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire, which was filled by the parent/guardian of the selected children.
A total of 640 schoolchildren were recruited. Their mean age was 10 years (SD +/- 0.5) and 55.9% of the study population was boys. Prevalence (95% CI) of asthma, rhinitis and eczema was 17% (13.7-20.3), 21.4% (17.8-25.1) and 5% (3.1-7.0) respectively, while 33.7% (29.6-37.9) had one or more diseases. Only the prevalence of allergic rhinitis showed a statistically significant difference between the two sexes, being more common in boys. Less than 30% of affected children's parents recognised that their child had either asthma or rhinitis, whereas a higher number of parents (54.2%) recognised that their child had eczema. Among children with asthma, 44.4% had rhinitis.
The prevalence of atopic diseases in schoolchildren in grade 5 in the Western Province of Sri Lanka is as common as in other countries in the south Asian region. Parental recognition of these conditions was not satisfactory.
儿童过敏性疾病是全球主要的公共卫生问题，且患病率正在上升。我们的目的是评估斯里兰卡西部省份学童中过敏性疾病的患病率。
招募了斯里兰卡西部省份17所学校的五年级学生参与研究。使用儿童哮喘和过敏国际研究（ISAAC）问卷收集数据，由选定儿童的家长/监护人填写。
共招募了640名学童。他们的平均年龄为10岁（标准差±0.5），研究人群中55.9%为男孩。哮喘、鼻炎和湿疹的患病率（95%可信区间）分别为17%（13.7 - 20.3）、21.4%（17.8 - 25.1）和5%（3.1 - 7.0），而33.7%（29.6 - 37.9）患有一种或多种疾病。只有过敏性鼻炎的患病率在两性之间存在统计学显著差异，在男孩中更常见。不到30%的患病儿童家长认识到他们的孩子患有哮喘或鼻炎，而更多的家长（54.2%）认识到他们的孩子患有湿疹。在患有哮喘的儿童中，44.4%患有鼻炎。
斯里兰卡西部省份五年级学童中过敏性疾病的患病率与南亚地区其他国家一样普遍。家长对这些疾病的认知并不令人满意。
