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Asthma and atopy in four rural Australian Aboriginal communities
Author(s) -
Veale Antony J,
Peat Jennifer K,
Tovey Euan R,
Salome Cheryl M,
Thompson John E,
Woolcock Ann J
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1996.tb124923.x
Subject(s) - atopy , asthma , medicine , allergy , epidemiology , environmental health , population , risk factor , bronchial hyperresponsiveness , demography , pediatrics , immunology , respiratory disease , lung , sociology
Objective To determine the prevalence and nature of asthma in four rural Australian Aboriginal communities. Design Cross‐sectional population study. Setting Four Aboriginal communities in Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia, Australia. Subjects Data were collected from 1252 subjects aged 5‐84 years in August 1990 and August/September 1991. Main outcome measures Respiratory symptoms, measured by interviewadministered questionnaire; airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), measured by histamine challenge; and allergy, measured by skin‐prick tests. AHR was a PD 20 FEV 1 of histamine of less than or equal to 3.9 μmol. Results The prevalence of AHR in the four communities ranged from 2.2% to 7.5% and significantly increased with age (χ 2 trend test: P<0.05). The prevalence of current asthma was 0.5% among 8‐12 year old children and 3.3% among adults. The overall prevalence of atopy in the four communities ranged from 21% to 34%. Allergy to cats, house dust mites or cigarette smoking was a risk factor for AHR, and cat allergy was a risk factor for current asthma. Conclusions The prevalence of asthma in rural Aboriginal adults is low in comparison with the prevalence among non‐Aboriginal Australians, and asthma in Aboriginal children is almost non‐existent. The low prevalence of asthma is possibly due to environmental factors that influence the acquisition of atopy and AHR.