[Frequency of childhood asthma in various Italian regions. Results from ISAAC. Collaborating group of ISRDCE (Italian Studies of Respiration Disorders in Childhood and the Environment)].

In the framework of ISAAC-International Studies on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood--the SIDRIA collaborative project--Studi Italiani sui Disturbi Respiratori nell'Infanzia e l'Ambiente--was established in order to estimate the prevalence of asthma, rinithis and eczema in ten geographic areas in Italy. Data collection spanned from October 1994 to March 1995. Overall 18,737 children 6-7 years old in the primary schools and 21,846 adolescents 13-14 years old in the secondary schools entered the study. The parents of pupils in both age groups filled in standardised questionnaires at home; furthermore both a traditional and a video questionnaire was administered at school to the adolescents. The overall response rate was 96.3%. Based on the interviews to the parents a prevalence of asthma of 9.0% in both age groups was estimated, with the lowest values in Cremona (4.6% children; 6.2% adolescents) and the highest in Roma (11.1% children; 10.4% adolescents). Parents also reported a higher prevalence of wheezing (7.7%) and dyspnea (5.3%) in the last year among children than among adolescents (4.7% and 3.4% respectively). Through the direct interview of the adolescents higher prevalence of asthma (10.4%), wheezing (10.3%) and dyspnea (7.8%) were estimated. Within a narrow range of variability, the reported prevalence of asthma and asthmatic symptoms in Trento and Cremona were the lowest and those in Roma, Empoli and Siena the highest. Nor an urban-rural neither a north-south gradient was detected. A higher prevalence of the same disorders was observed among females than males in the youngest age group, but this difference was no more evident among the adolescents.