Ergebnisse aus dem Projekt „Atemwegserkrankungen und Allergien bei Einschulungskindern in einer ländlichen Region“ (AABEL) — interne und externe Prävalenzvergleiche

Abstract

Background

For some years there has been an ongoing discussion whether an association exists between living in the neighborhood of intensive livestock facilities and respiratory or allergic disease.

Methods

A cross-sectional epidemiologic study was incorporated into the school entry examination of selected districts in Lower Saxony. A standardized questionnaire for respiratory and allergic symptoms and corresponding risk factors was used. Complementarily, the children were examined for visible signs of flexural dermatitis and blood was tested for specific IgE to inhalant allergens.

Results

Overall, 7,943 questionnaires (response rate > 85%), 5,136 skin reports, and 1,552 results of blood tests were evaluated. Prevalence of the symptoms was comparable to results of other studies. The prevalences of flexural dermatitis and elevated IgE levels were 5.5% and 16.7%, respectively. Regarding the reported symptoms, there were significant differences as to the gender of the child and the country of parental origin.

Conclusion

Using standardized questionnaires and examinations, a comparison of prevalence rates of different studies is, in general, possible. However, the setting of a study, i. e. season, objective, logistic conditions, inquired population, etc., needs to be taken into account for an external comparison of prevalence rates.