The Frequency of Bronchial Asthma in Swedish School Children

Abstract

SummaryThe frequency of bronchial asthma in Swedish schools was investigated. The incidence in elementary schools during two school‐years with available official reports was 0.73 per cent. The number of children examined was 235,000 and 247,000 in the two groups. In the higher‐grade schools (number of pupils 87,000–138,000) the incidence during the last eight years varied between 0.39 and 0.58 per cent. These figures must be regarded as minimum values. A special study of the conditions in the elementary schools in Stockholm in the spring of 1953 (60,000 pupils) showed an incidence of 1.37 per cent.

British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology

“…In 1956-57, the prevalence was 1-76%, which was comparable with that found in Stockholm by Kraepelien (1954). The rise in deaths, first noted in 1966 to be particularly affecting young people over 5 years of age, prompted the second study in 1968-69, in which the prevalence was found to have significantly increased to 5-4%, again consistent with other contemporary studies elsewhere.…”

Educational and social characteristics of children with asthma

“…In many of the surveys the prevalence rates found were less than that of our study (4-8%). The Scandinavian surveys of Kraepelien (1954), Peltonen, Kasanen, and Peltonen (1955), and Eriksson-Lihr (1955) gave prevalence rates of 0*7, 0*8, and 0*7%, respectively. In his survey of Birmingham schoolchildren, Smith (1961) found a prevalence rate for definitely diagnosed asthma of 1°8%, though 12 years later this had increased to 2 3% (Smith, Harding, and Cumming, 1971).…”

The changing prevalence of asthma in school children

“…These figures for the Birmingham surveys are similar to those published by others at about the same period. Eilertsen (1954) reported asthma in 1-77% of Oslo school children and Kraepelien (1954) 1-37% in the children of Stockholm. Recent surveys such as Dawson et al (1969) in Aberdeen and Williams & McNicol (1969) in Melbourne gave figures of 4-8% and 3-7% respectively.…”