Prevalence of asthma and allergy-related diseases among adolescents of West Bengal, India: Results of the PERFORMANCE study

Abstract

Introduction: Despite a considerable number of international reports, information about the prevalence of asthma and allergy-related diseases among adolescents of India is relatively sparse. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of asthma and allergy-related diseases among adolescents of West Bengal, India. Methods: 663 adolescents (55% male) aged between 13 and 14 years were recruited from 12 randomly selected schools of 8 districts of West Bengal. Based on domicile, they were stratified as rural (n=359, 54%) and urban (n=304, 46%) population. The prevalence of asthma, wheeze, rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema among the participants were assessed using the English-back Bengali translated version of the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire modules. Results: Lifetime prevalence of asthma, wheeze, rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema was 9.5, 12.5, 21.3, 14 and 21.9%, respectively. Prevalence of wheeze, rhinitis and eczema in the last 12 months was 6.4, 15.1 and 14.8%, respectively. Adolescents living in urban areas had a significantly higher prevalence of rhinitis than those living in rural areas (lifetime prevalence: 26 vs. 17%; current prevalence: 22 vs. 10%, both p Conclusion: The current study shows the prevalence of allergic diseases in adolescents living in West Bengal is similar to previous ISAAC reports in India, except for eczema that is higher than previously reported.