Prevalence of asthma in adolescents in various parts of France and its relationship to respiratory allergic manifestations.

Six studies have been carried out in France and French Polynesia to investigate the prevalence of asthma in adolescents attending secondary school and in Paris university students (68,179 subjects overall). All the studies used the same questionnaire, self-administered in the classroom, and interviews administered to students during the university's preventive medicine examination. An epidemiologic definition of asthma was considered an affirmative answer to the question, "Have you ever had attacks of asthma?" The prevalence of asthma ranged from 4 to 12 percent, most often higher in boys with a tendency to increase with age. The relationship between asthma and other allergic respiratory conditions was studied. Some recommendations are made here to improve the validity of data and to increase knowledge about the etiology of asthma.