Global Variations in Childhood Wheezing Symptoms
Author Information
Author(s): Swatee P Patel, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Mark P Little
Primary Institution: University of Greenwich
Hypothesis
What are the worldwide variations in the prevalence of wheezing symptoms in children?
Conclusion
The UK has the highest recorded prevalence of wheezing and Ethiopia the lowest, with significant trends observed over time.
Supporting Evidence
- The UK had the highest recorded prevalence of wheeze at 32.2%.
- Ethiopia had the lowest prevalence at 1.7%.
- ISAAC studies reported significantly higher prevalences than non-ISAAC studies.
- Prevalence of wheezing increased from the 1970s to the early 1990s but has decreased since then.
- Australia showed a significantly higher prevalence of current wheezing compared to the UK.
- Self-reported wheezing was significantly higher than parental-reported wheezing.
- Significant differences in prevalence trends were observed between ISAAC and non-ISAAC studies.
- Methodological differences may affect the reported prevalence of wheezing.
Takeaway
This study looked at how many kids around the world have wheezing, finding that some places have a lot more kids with this problem than others.
Methodology
A systematic review of studies published between 1990 and 2005, including those with sample sizes greater than 1000.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to the focus on ISAAC studies, which may not represent all populations.
Limitations
The review may not include all relevant studies and is limited to those published in English.
Participant Demographics
Children aged 0-19 from various countries.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.0005
Confidence Interval
[1.318, 1.369]
Statistical Significance
p<0.0005
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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