Campbell K, Davis J, Kingston H, Milne G A
Golden Bay Medical Centre, Takaka.
N Z Med J. 1993 Jul 14;106(959):282-3.
To determine the prevalence of asthma within the total population of a region defined by census and geographical boundaries.
Patients on the asthma register of the sole medical centre in the region of Golden Bay, during the period of six months before the March 1991 census, were compared by age and sex with the census figures for the whole population. The methods of verifying the numbers on the register are described.
The total number of patients of all age groups under treatment for asthma was 260, giving a prevalence of asthma in the population of 4803 of 5.41% (males 5.67%, females 5.11%). In children between ages 1-14 years there were 9.21% with asthma. The prevalence, defined by percentage for each group, rises from infancy to peak in the mid teens at 10%, followed by a steady decline to the mid thirties to 3.4%, and thereafter a rather flat plateau between 3.5% and 4% into old age.
Previous studies of the prevalence of asthma have been limited to schoolchildren. Whole population studies, within a defined region, are likely to offer more information for the planning of healthcare resources, and may give some clues to understanding the natural history of the disease.
确定在由人口普查和地理边界所界定的某一地区总人口中哮喘的患病率。
将1991年3月人口普查前六个月期间金湾地区唯一医疗中心哮喘登记册上的患者，按年龄和性别与全体人口的普查数据进行比较。描述了核实登记册上人数的方法。
所有接受哮喘治疗的各年龄组患者总数为260人，在4803人的人口中哮喘患病率为5.41%（男性为5.67%，女性为5.11%）。1至14岁儿童中哮喘患病率为9.21%。按每组百分比定义的患病率，从婴儿期开始上升，在青少年中期达到峰值10%，随后稳步下降至三十多岁中期的3.4%，此后在老年期维持在3.5%至4%之间的相当平稳水平。
先前关于哮喘患病率的研究仅限于学童。在特定地区进行的全人群研究，可能为医疗资源规划提供更多信息，并可能为理解该疾病的自然史提供一些线索。
