ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Opposite Trends of Allergic Disorders and Respiratory Symptoms in Children over a Period of Large-Scale Ambient Air Pollution Decline
Grzegorz M. Brożek, Jan E. Zejda, Małgorzata Kowalska, Mateusz Gębuś, Krzysztof Kępa, Michał Igielski
 
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Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Silesia,
Medyków 18, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
 
 
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2010;19(6):1133-1138
 
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ABSTRACT
The aim of our study was to analyze a 15-year trend in the prevalence of allergic disorders and respiratory symptoms in children living in an urban area of Upper Silesia, Poland. Three cross-sectional studies (1993, 2002, and 2007) in children aged 7-10 showed a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of all physician-diagnosed allergic disorders (1993-2002-2007): asthma (3.4%-4.7%-8.5%); allergic rhinitis (9.1%-13.7%-17.4%); atopic dermatitis (3.6%-8.4%-8.9%); allergic conjunctivitis (4.3%-11.8%-14.9%); allergy to pollen (5.9%-12.3%-17.3%); allergy to food (5.5%-11.0%-17.0%). A simultaneous decreasing trend in the prevalence of coughing correlated with significant improvement of ambient air quality. However, the rising trends could result from both increasing incidence and improved diagnosis of allergic diseases.
eISSN:2083-5906
ISSN:1230-1485
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