Asher M I, Pattemore P K, Harrison A C, Mitchell E A, Rea H H, Stewart A W, Woolcock A J
Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Am Rev Respir Dis. 1988 Sep;138(3):524-9. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/138.3.524.
Potential explanations for the higher rates of asthma mortality and hospital admissions in New Zealand (NZ) include greater prevalence of asthma. To evaluate this further, a large community survey has been undertaken. Rates of respiratory symptoms and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) for children in Auckland, NZ have been compared to those for children in two locations in New South Wales (NSW), Australia: Wagga Wagga (inland) and Belmont (coastal). The methodology used was the same in both studies: parent-completed questionnaire and BHR measured by response to an abbreviated histamine challenge. In Auckland, 1,084 children participated (84% of those selected) and were compared to 769 inland NSW and 718 coastal NSW children. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms, BHR, severity of BHR, and BHR combined with symptoms was similar among Auckland and inland NSW children but lower among coastal NSW children than those from the other two sites. It is concluded that other unidentified factors must be invoked to explain mortality and admission differences between these regions.
新西兰（NZ）哮喘死亡率和住院率较高的潜在原因包括哮喘患病率更高。为进一步评估这一点，已开展了一项大型社区调查。将新西兰奥克兰儿童的呼吸道症状和支气管高反应性（BHR）发生率与澳大利亚新南威尔士州（NSW）两个地区的儿童进行了比较：沃加沃加（内陆）和贝尔蒙特（沿海）。两项研究采用的方法相同：由家长填写问卷，并通过对简化组胺激发试验的反应来测量BHR。在奥克兰，1084名儿童参与（占所选儿童的84%），并与769名新南威尔士州内陆儿童和718名新南威尔士州沿海儿童进行比较。奥克兰儿童和新南威尔士州内陆儿童的呼吸道症状患病率、BHR、BHR严重程度以及BHR与症状的综合情况相似，但新南威尔士州沿海儿童的这些指标低于其他两个地区的儿童。结论是，必须引入其他未确定的因素来解释这些地区之间的死亡率和住院率差异。
