Prevalence of asthma among male 16 to 18-year-old adolescents in the Northern Borders Region of Saudi Arabia

Prevalence of asthma among children and adolescents in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region: a meta-analysis of over 0.5 million participants

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the epidemiology of asthma among children and adolescents in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

METHODS

Exhaustive searches were conducted across databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge Core Collection, Embase, and Google Scholar. The selection criteria included studies reporting asthma prevalence in individuals aged 0 to 19 years, using validated questionnaires. Data were extracted and synthesized using the DerSimonian and Laird random effects model.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of asthma in Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) countries, among the 514,468 children and adolescents included in this meta-analysis, was 10.61%, synthesized from 95 studies. Among the countries studied, Qatar exhibited the highest prevalence at 16.69%, followed by Saudi Arabia at 16.57%, Iraq at 16.22%, Oman at 15.20%, and Afghanistan at 14.90%. Adolescents showed a slightly higher prevalence of asthma at 10.10% compared to children at 9.70%. Boys exhibited a higher prevalence at 11.48% compared to girls at 9.75%. Urban areas demonstrated a higher prevalence at 11.27% than rural areas at 8.29%.

CONCLUSION

Efforts to reduce asthma prevalence in Arab countries and address underdiagnosis in African nations within the EMRO are crucial. Targeted interventions should focus on addressing environmental triggers and improving access to healthcare. Enhanced diagnostic capabilities and healthcare infrastructure are necessary in African countries. Collaborative action is essential to alleviate the asthma burden and promote respiratory health across the EMRO region.

Current Approaches in the Multimodal Management of Asthma in Adolescents-From Pharmacology to Personalized Therapy

Asthma and adolescence are two sensitive points and are difficult to manage when they coexist. The first is a chronic respiratory condition, with frequent onset in early childhood (between 3 and 5 years), which can improve or worsen with age. Adolescence is the period between childhood and adulthood (12-19 years), marked by various internal and external conflicts and a limited capacity to understand and accept any aspect that is delimited by the pattern of the social circle (of the entourage) frequented by the individual. Therefore, the clinician is faced with multiple attempts regarding the management of asthma encountered during the adolescent period, starting from the individualization of the therapy to the control of compliance (which depends equally on the adverse reactions, quality of life offered and support of the close circle) and the social integration of the subject, communication probably having a more important role in the monitoring and evolution of the condition than the preference for a certain therapeutic scheme. Current statistics draw attention to the increase in morbidity and mortality among children with bronchial asthma, an aspect demonstrated by the numerous hospitalizations recorded, due either to an escalation in the severity of this pathology or to faulty management. The purpose of this article is to review the delicate aspects in terms of controlling symptoms and maintaining a high quality of life among teenagers.

Prevalence of asthma symptoms and associated risk factors among adults in Saudi Arabia: A national survey from Global Asthma Network Phase Ⅰ

Purpose

Estimating the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms with standardized methods of population-based surveys is a critical step in reducing asthma burden. However, no sufficient surveys have been conducted in most countries of the Middle East especially at the national level. In this survey, we applied sound measures to estimate the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms and related risk factors in adults in Saudi Arabia.

Patients and methods

In this national cross-sectional study, the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms were estimated throughout the country. Overall, 7955 adult individuals were selected from 20 regions across Saudi Arabia through their children at schools using a multistage, stratified cluster-sampling technique. A validated questionnaire, including the core and environmental questions of the Global Asthma Network questionnaires, was applied from March 4 to April 25, 2019. In addition, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the independent relationships between current wheeze and related risk factors.

Results

The overall prevalence of current wheeze (wheeze during the past 12 months) was 14.2%. Among persons with current wheeze, 38.1% were affected by severe asthma symptoms. Although a high percentage of those who had experienced asthma-ever reported that their asthma was diagnosed by doctors (83.3%), only 38.4% had a written plan for controlling their asthma. Women were more likely to develop current wheeze (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1–1.7), while other statistically significant factors associated with current wheeze were jobs (aOR 11.8; 95% CI: 7.3–18.9), current exposure to moisture or damp spots (aOR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.5–3.4), heating the house when it is cold (aOR 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3–2.1), and ever using tobacco daily (aOR 2.7; 95% CI: 2.0–3.5).

Conclusions

These findings provide enough evidence for health authorities in Saudi Arabia about the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms, asthma control, and associated risk factors to scale up monitoring projects, control plans, and high-impact interventions.

Prevalence and associated factors of respiratory allergies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional investigation, September-December 2020

Background

Prevalence of different respiratory allergies is increasing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Environmental risk factors of respiratory allergy vary regionally, hence the prevalence. This necessitates the needs for regional studies. This article reports prevalence and symptoms of respiratory allergies in the Qassim region, and the factors associated with the prevalence.

Methods

Eight hundred and fifty individuals aged ≥18 years and were living in the Qassim region filled up our structured online questionnaire between September and December 2020. We estimated the prevalence of different respiratory allergies with 95% confidence intervals. Multi-variable logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the risk factors of respiratory allergies.

Findings

The prevalence of any respiratory allergy in the Qassim region was 28.8%. Most families (58.1%) had at least one member with respiratory allergy. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma were 13.5% and 11.2% 4.1% respectively. The reported symptoms included runny nose (13.6%), red, watery, and itchy eyes (10.4%), difficulty sleeping at night (10.2%), difficulty breathing in cold weather (9.2%), noisy breathing (8.5%), sneezing (8%), repeated coughing (7.5%) and shortness of breath (6.4%). Individuals with a family history were more likely to report any respiratory allergy (OR: 7.8), bronchial asthma (OR: 4.2) and allergic rhinitis (OR: 8.1) compared to the individuals without such family history. Odds of respiratory allergies was higher among males (OR: 1.5). Saudi nationals were less likely to report allergic rhinitis than the non-Saudis (OR: 0.4). Among those who reported a respiratory allergy, most (73.5%) received treatment and majority (61.7%) demonstrated compliance to the treatment, 8.8% needed hospitalization, and 23.1% needed emergency nebulization.

Conclusions

Prevalence reported in our study is different than that reported in other regions. Variability in the environmental exposures might explain this. We recommend a meta-analysis to estimate the national prevalence of respiratory allergies.