Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2012 Sep;22(3):248-255.

The Prevalence of Allergic Diseases in Children Living In Jeju

• Lee HS
• Lee J
• Kim JW
• Hong SC
• Kim SY
• Lee KH

Abstract

PURPOSE
We investigated the prevalence of allergic diseases in preschoolers and children attending elementary, middle and high schools in Seogwipo city, Jeju, South Korea.
METHODS
A cross-sectional survey in November 2008 was conducted, using questionnaires, translated in Korean, from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood group. All the attendees, 29,606, in 136 nurseries and kindergartens, 47 elementary schools, 15 middle schools and 10 high schools in Seogwipo city were surveyed in this study.
RESULTS
Of the 25,312 (85.5%) questionnaires retrieved, 25,024 were appropriately completed and analyzed. For asthma, the prevalence of "wheeze, last 12 months" was 15.4% for the preschool children, 6.4% for the elementary school students, 5.3% for the middle school students and 5.8% for the high school students. The prevalence of "allergic rhinitis, last 12 months" was 23.9%, 30.0%, 31.4% and 34.2%, respectively. The prevalence of "atopic dermatitis, last 12 months" was 19.0%, 17.4%, 12.3% and 11.4%, respectively. The prevalence of "allergic conjunctivitis, last 12 months" was 8.5%, 12.3%, 20.3% and 23.4%, respectively. The prevalence of "food allergy, last 12 months" was 5.4%, 4.2%, 4.2% and 5.1%, respectively. The prevalence of "drug allergy, last 12 months" was 0.7%, 0.3%, 0.6%, and 0.8% for each group.
CONCLUSION
In Seogwipo city, the prevalence of asthma and atopic dermatitis decreases with age. However, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis are increasing by age. The prevalence of food allergy and drug allergy showed no difference by age.

Keyword

Prevalence; Asthma; Allergic rhinitis; Atopic dermatitis; Allergic conjunctivitis; Food hypersensitivity; Child

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Child
Child, Preschool
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis, Allergic
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dermatitis
Dermatitis, Atopic
Drug Hypersensitivity
Food Hypersensitivity
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Nurseries
Prevalence
Surveys and Questionnaires
Rhinitis
Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial

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