International Union for Circumpolar Health Ministry of Public Health and Social Development of RF Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Medical Polar Fund “Science” The Northern Forum

Abstracts

Child health. Women`s health

Background The prevalence of asthma is increasing throughout the world, but the reasons for the increase are unclear. Industrial and agricultural pollutants may contribute to the increase in urban and rural areas, respectively. The objective of this research was to determine if the prevalence of asthma has increased in a remote area of Alaska where the population lives a subsistence lifestyle and is not exposed to such pollution. Methods We reviewed medical records of 1200 children, aged 0-10 years, who lived in the Yukon-Kuskokwum Delta (YKD) region of western Alaska between 1990 and 1999. The entire YKD population receives health care from a single medical system, so records provide a complete picture of each patient’s health care. Data collected from the medical records included demographics, the lifetime prevalence any episode of wheezing, and the presence or absence of a diagnosis of asthma or reactive airway disease (RAD). Results By the age of 10, 86.8% of the children had experienced at least one wheezing episode. Over the 10-year period from 1990-1999, however, there was no significant change in the percentage of children who had a wheezing episode. There was also no significant change in the percentage of children who had a diagnosis of asthma or RAD (2.0% and 9.6, respectively, in 1990, and 3.0% and 9.6%, respectively, in 1999). Conclusions In a population of children not exposed to urban industrial or rural agricultural pollutants, there has been no recent change in the prevalence of wheezing or asthma.

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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Last update: 06-Jul-2012 (11:52:05)