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Atopic eczema (AE) is a chronic skin disease. Recent reports indicate that the worldwide prevalence of AE is increasing and that various environmental factors are implicated in its aetiology. Climatic conditions have been related with AE prevalence, and Spain has varying climatic conditions. The aim of this study is to document the possible climatic influence on the prevalence of AE in schoolchildren aged 6-7 years in three different climatic regions in Spain. We conducted a cross-sectional population-based survey of 28,394 schoolchildren aged 6-7 years from 10 Spanish centres in three different climatic regions. The mean participation rate was 76.5%. AE prevalence was assessed using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire and the Spanish Academy of Dermatology criteria used in Spain to diagnose AE. The data, including annual temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and the annual number of sunny hours per climatic region, were obtained from the Spanish National Institute of Meteorology. Different AE prevalences were found in all three climatic regions studied: Atlantic, 32.9; Mediterranean 28.3; and Continental 31.2 per 100 children studied (p < 0.005). AE was positively associated with precipitation and humidity, and was negatively associated with temperature and the number of sunny hours. The results show that AE is significantly dependent on meteorological conditions.

In the last 8 years, the prevalence of asthma has not changed in 13-14-year-old Spanish children but has increased substantially in 6-7-year olds.

Background: The role of immunization with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in the prevalence of asthma, hay fever and atopic dermatitis is not definitely established and seems to be influenced by ethnic background. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between this immunization and the prevalence of those diseases in a homogeneous population of Spanish schoolchildren. Methods: The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) core and environmental questionnaires were used in four different centers of the Spanish North Atlantic coast. Bilbao, San Sebastián and Asturias have a universal BCG immunization policy during the first days of life, whereas La Coruña discontinued this practice in 1989. Except for this center, immunization coverage was above 90%. A random sample of schools of Asturias or all schools in the city district (rest of centers) with children 6 and 7 years old was surveyed. Results: The participation rate was above 70%. After excluding those children born outside Spain, the numbers were 6,762 immunized and 2,828 nonimmunized. After adjusting for gender, age, smoking habits of the father and mother, truck traffic near the household, older and younger siblings and having a cat or a dog during the first year of the child’s life, the adjusted ORs of the BCG-immunized children suffering from asthma, hay fever and atopic dermatitis were respectively 0.87 (95% CI 0.76–1.00), 0.87 (0.75–1.01) and 0.89 (0.76–1.05). Conclusions: BCG immunization offers a weak but significant protection against asthma and hay fever in Spanish schoolchildren.