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The prevalence of asthma in Victorian adults
Author(s) -
Abramson M.,
Kutin J.,
Bowes G.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1992.tb02148.x
Subject(s) - wheeze , medicine , asthma , pediatrics , cross sectional study , demography , prevalence , environmental health , family medicine , population , pathology , sociology
To determine the prevalence of asthma in Victorian adults, we carried out a cross‐sectional postal survey utilising a new screening questionnaire which gathered data on self reported respiratory symptoms, whether asthma had been diagnosed and, if so, how it had been treated. Questionnaires were returned by 2198 (72%) of 3095 adults selected randomly from the Victorian electoral roll, an adequate response rate. The reported prevalences of individual asthmatic symptoms in the last 12 months ranged from 8% for nocturnal wheeze to 22% for current wheeze. Thirteen per cent of respondents had ever had asthma, 7% had experienced an attack within the last 12 months and 6% were currently taking medication. The high prevalence of asthma revealed by our study has major implications for the planning of health services.