The prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of bronchial asthma in people over 40 years old in Hai'an / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of bronchial asthma in people over 40 years old in Hai'an. Methods The stratified random sampling method was used in this study. A questionnaire survey was conducted and pulmonary function measurement was performed among the residents over 40 years old in Hai'an, ​Jiangsu Province to analyze the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of asthma. Results A total of 2 237 valid questionnaires were collected in the survey, and 116 patients with bronchial asthma were found, with an incidence rate of 5.19%. The prevalence of asthma was related to gender, age, family history, active and passive smoking, occupational exposure, childhood history of lung disease, history of respiratory allergies, and exposure to cooking fumes (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being male (OR=0.637, 95%CI 0.499~0.691) was a protective factor for asthma, while advanced age (OR=1.438, 95%CI 1.207~1.972), active smoking (OR=1.795, 95%CI 1.423~2.399), passive smoking (OR=2.098, 95%CI 1.423~2.399), occupational exposure (OR=3.446, 95% CI 2.175~6.290), childhood history of lung disease (OR=2.228, 95%CI 1.337~4.491), history of respiratory allergies (OR=2.287, 95%CI 1.535~5.219) were risk factors for asthma (P<0.05). Conclusion The prevalence rate of bronchial asthma in people over 40 years old in Hai'an was high. Advanced age, active and passive smoking, occupational exposure, a history of lung disease in childhood, and a history of respiratory allergies were related to asthma development. It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and treatment of asthma among high-risk population in clinical practice to reduce the incidence of asthma.