Dubois P, Degrave E, Vandenplas O
Medical Service of the Belgian Armed Forces, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
Thorax. 1998 Feb;53(2):101-5. doi: 10.1136/thx.53.2.101.
Although there is convincing evidence that the prevalence of asthma among children has increased over the last three decades, it remains uncertain whether such an upward trend has occurred in adults. The aim of this study was to assess whether the prevalence of asthma has changed in young Belgian adults in recent years.
A retrospective analysis was conducted of available statistics from the Belgian Armed Forces for the period 1978-91 because conscripts who reported a history of past or current asthma at call-up examination underwent standardised assessment of non-specific airway responsiveness by military chest physicians. Exemption from military service due to asthma was strictly based on the objective evidence of airway hyperresponsiveness.
A mean of 48,331 conscripts aged 17-31 years were examined annually from 1978 to 1991. The prevalence of reported asthma rose from 2.4% in 1978 to 7.2% in 1991, while the proportion of asthmatics with airway hyperresponsiveness remained little changed at 48.4% in 1978 and 51.4% in 1991.
The observed increase in prevalence of reported asthma was not accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of conscripts with objectively measured airway hyperresponsiveness. These observations provide supporting evidence that the increase in asthma symptoms was not simply due to reporting bias.
尽管有确凿证据表明在过去三十年中儿童哮喘患病率有所上升，但成人中是否出现这种上升趋势仍不确定。本研究的目的是评估近年来比利时年轻成年人中哮喘患病率是否发生了变化。
对1978 - 1991年期间比利时武装部队的现有统计数据进行回顾性分析，因为在征召体检时报告有既往或当前哮喘病史的应征入伍者由军队胸科医生进行非特异性气道反应性的标准化评估。因哮喘免服兵役严格基于气道高反应性的客观证据。
1978年至1991年期间，每年平均检查48331名17 - 31岁的应征入伍者。报告的哮喘患病率从1978年的2.4%上升至1991年的7.2%，而气道高反应性哮喘患者的比例变化不大，1978年为48.4%，1991年为51.4%。
报告的哮喘患病率上升，同时客观测量气道高反应性的应征入伍者比例并未下降。这些观察结果提供了支持性证据，表明哮喘症状的增加并非仅仅由于报告偏倚。
