Prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms in students of Tehran and Rasht: phase III ISAAC study

This study is a part of the third phase of the "International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood" [ISAAC] aiming to study the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms among children of Rasht and Tehran. Materials and This analytical cross-sectional study assessed Rasht and Tehran students in two age groups [6-7 and 13-14 years] during 2001-2002. After performing statistical analysis, prevalence of asthma symptoms was compared between the students form the two cities and was evaluated in both sexes and age groups by using the Chi-square test. Result: A total of 12,214 students from both Rasht and Tehran participated in this study. History of wheezing and asthma were significantly higher among Rasht students. Prevalence of wheezing, speech limitation due to wheezing, wheezing during exercise and dry nocturnal cough were higher among 13-14 year olds in both cities. History of wheezing and exercise wheezing were higher in 6-7 year-old girls living in Tehran. However, prevalence of the aforementioned symptoms and prevalence of asthma were higher in total boys residing in Rasht. Also, prevalence of asthma, wheezing during exercise and dry nocturnal cough were higher in 13-14 year old boys in Rasht. No significant difference was found in this regard between Tehran girls and boys in this age group. Prevalence of asthma and some of its symptoms was significantly higher among Rasht students compared to those residing in Tehran

Epidemiologic status of tuberculosis in Golestan Province

After Sistan and Balouchestan, Golestan province is ranked second in terms of TB prevalence in Iran. Therefore, a 5-year study was conducted to evaluate the alterations of TB epidemiologic indices in this province. This was a trend study. All patients suffering from various forms of pulmonary tuberculosis [smear positive, smear negative, extrapulmonary and miliary] during 1999-2003 in Golestan province were studied. Alterations of TB epidemiologic indices were evaluated by using Chi-square test. Out of a total of 3,417 registered TB patients during 1999-2003 in the Center for Communicable Disease Control in Golestan, 2,773 [81%] were available and entered the study; 47% were male. 62.7% of patients had smear positive, 16.4% had smear negative, 20.7% had extrapulmonary and 0.1% had miliary tuberculosis. The overall incidence of all forms of TB during the study period was 36 in 100,000 and no significant difference was detected while assessing the alterations of this index during the study period. Incidence of TB had an increasing trend among children; its prevalence among 0-14 year old females was higher than males during the study period. Although Golestan province is not adjacent to the provinces with high TB prevalence, it is ranked second in terms of incidence and prevalence of TB and various factors such as immigration can affect TB epidemiologic indices. An independent study is required to evaluate the distribution of TB among different ethnic groups

Prevalence and severity of asthmatic symptoms in Rasht students: a report from ISAAC study

This study is a part of the third phase of "International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood" [ISAAC] which was aimed to study the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms among children and to compare the result with those of the first phase in Rasht city. A descriptive study was performed on 0-7 and 13-14 years old students of Rasht city during 2001-2002. After performing statistical analysis, prevalence of asthma symptoms was evaluated in both sexes and the two age groups by using chi-square test. A total of 6074 students participated in this study. History of wheezing during their life-time and history of recent wheezing were present in 23.3% and 15.4% of students, respectively. Prevalence of this symptom in both situations was significantly higher in male students compared to females. Three hundred forty-nine students [5.7%] were known cases of asthma. Number of asthmatic cases among 6-7 years old students was 1.5 times higher than the other group. Also, prevalence of asthma in boys was 1.6 times higher than girls. Over all, 522 students [8.6%] mentioned a history of wheezing during or after exercise in the past 12 months. This was 3 times higher among 13-14 years old students and 1.9 times higher in boys. Eight hundred thirty-five [13.7%] students had a history of dry cough during the last 12 months and its prevalence was higher in students in the 13-14 years old group and in boys as well. Compared to the results of phase I of this study, the prevalence of known cases of asthma has considerably increased in both age groups. Prevalence of asthma was higher in 6-7 years old boys. There is a wide range of risk factors for development of asthma and its exacerbation in children which requires further investigations to find factors responsible for increased prevalence of this disease in Rasht city