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Prevalence of asthma with aspirin hypersensitivity in the adult population of Poland
Author(s) -
Kasper L.,
Sladek K.,
Duplaga M.,
Bochenek G.,
Liebhart J.,
Gladysz U.,
Malolepszy J.,
Szczeklik A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2003.00267.x
Subject(s) - medicine , aspirin , bronchoconstriction , asthma , population , allergy , pediatrics , immunology , environmental health
Background: Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and other nonsteroid anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are reported to account for 21–25% of all adverse drug reactions. Some asthmatics may react to ASA and other NSAIDs with acute bronchoconstriction, profuse rhinorrhea and skin flushing. This is a distinct clinical syndrome called aspirin‐induced asthma (AIA). The prevalence of AIA among asthmatic patients in Poland has not been previously assessed. Methods: A questionnaire survey of 12 970 adults of both sexes, randomly selected from the population of Poland. Results: The prevalence of AIA in the general population of Poland was estimated as 0.6%. Thirty patients (4.3%; 95% CI: 2.8–5.8) of 703 asthmatics (5.4% of general population) reported symptoms attesting to hypersensitivity to aspirin. In 27% of them the reactions were precipitated by aspirin, whereas in the remaining subjects by other NSAIDs. Conclusions: The prevalence of AIA in Poland is 4.3%, being somewhat lower than in Finland and Australia, where it was recently reported to account for 8.8 and 10.9% of the adult asthmatics, respectively. These figures indicate that aspirin hypersensitivity might be a significant community problem.