Campello C, Ferrari M, Poli A, Olivieri M, Tardivo S, Verlato G, Martini C, Biasin C, Lampronti G, Cenci B, Lo Cascio V
Institute of Public Health, University of Trieste, Italy.
Monaldi Arch Chest Dis. 1998 Oct;53(5):505-9.
The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in the general population of Verona. A screening questionnaire, with seven questions on respiratory symptoms, was sent by mail to 3000 randomly selected subjects, aged 20-44 yrs. After three subsequent mailings, nonresponders were interviewed by telephone. The overall response rate was 92%. At least one respiratory symptom was reported by 44% subjects. The prevalence of the most frequent symptoms differed according to the type of contact: early respondents (i.e. those who responded by mail) were more likely to report symptoms than late respondents (i.e. those who were interviewed by telephone). Wheezing was reported by 11.3% of males and 8.0% of females (p < 0.01). The allergic rhinitis and hay-fever prevalence was 16.9% with no differences owing to sex or age. The prevalence of an "episode of asthma" (defined as a self-reported attack of asthma or treatment for asthma) and of "current asthma" (defined as a self-reported attack of asthma, treatment for asthma or wheezing other than due to a cold with dyspnoea in the last 12 months) was 4.1 and 4.7%, respectively. No differences were found on the basis of age and sex. The prevalence of asthma was greater in urban (5.0%) than in suburban (2.7%) areas (p < 0.05), where lower pollution levels were registered. The greater prevalence in urban areas suggests that some factors related to the urban environment could play a role in the development of asthma and asthma-like disorders.
该研究的目的是评估维罗纳普通人群中哮喘及哮喘样症状的患病率。一份包含七个关于呼吸道症状问题的筛查问卷通过邮件发送给3000名年龄在20 - 44岁之间随机选取的受试者。在随后三次邮件发送后，未回复者通过电话进行访谈。总体回复率为92%。44%的受试者报告了至少一种呼吸道症状。最常见症状的患病率因联系方式而异：早期回复者（即通过邮件回复的人）比晚期回复者（即通过电话访谈的人）更有可能报告症状。11.3%的男性和8.0%的女性报告有喘息症状（p < 0.01）。过敏性鼻炎和花粉症的患病率为16.9%，不存在性别或年龄差异。“哮喘发作”（定义为自我报告的哮喘发作或哮喘治疗）和“当前哮喘”（定义为自我报告的哮喘发作、哮喘治疗或过去12个月内除感冒伴呼吸困难外的喘息）的患病率分别为4.1%和4.7%。未发现年龄和性别方面的差异。城市地区（5.0%）的哮喘患病率高于郊区（2.7%）（p < 0.05），郊区污染水平较低。城市地区较高的患病率表明一些与城市环境相关的因素可能在哮喘及哮喘样疾病的发生中起作用。
