Abstract:
Aim: The lifestyle and environmental changes associated with industrialization and urbanization are crucial factors in determining
the prevalence of allergic diseases.
Material and Methods: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma and other allergic disorders in an industrial
town.Study Design: Prospective, Cross-sectional study. This cross-sectional population-based study was conducted in Kemalpasa,
İzmir, Turkey, which is an industrial town. Using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), the questionnaire
was carried out on 1511 school-children aged between 13-14 years living in the district center.
Results: The ISAAC Phase One questionnaire was answered by 1373 (90.87%) students. Six hundred ninety two (50.5%) of the
children were girls and 681 (49.5%) were boys. The frequency of ever wheezing was 34%,that of current wheezing was 31.1% and
that of physician-diagnosed asthma was 4.1%. The frequency of ever rhinitis was 36.6%, current rhinitis was 31.3%, current allergic
rhino-conjunctivitis was 22.1% and physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis was 11.1%. The frequency of ever eczema was 11.3% and
that of physician-diagnosed eczema was 3.6%.
Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma was found to be significantly higher, although there was no significant difference in allergic
rhinitis and eczema compared with non-industrial neighboring states. The incidence of asthma was higher than other provinces
which may be explained by the risk factors associated with this industrialized area. The fact that only children of the same age
group and residence were evaluated contributed to the epidemiological value of our study.
