title: Asthma and atopy in four rural Australian aboriginal communities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and nature of asthma in four rural Australian Aboriginal communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional population study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four Aboriginal communities in Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from 1252 subjects aged 5-84 years in August 1990 and August/September 1991.
  
  
  METHODS
  Respiratory symptoms, measured by interview-administered questionnaire; airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), measured by histamine challenge; and allergy, measured by skin-pick tests. AHR was a PD20FEV1 of histamine of less than or equal to 3.9 mumol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of AHR in the four communities ranged from 2.2% to 7.5% and significantly increased with age (chi 2 trend test: P < 0.05). The prevalence of current asthma was 0.5% among 8-12 year old children and 3.3% among adults. The overall prevalence of atopy in the four communities ranged from 21% to 34%. Allergy to cats, house dust mites or cigarette smoking was a risk factor for AHR, and cat allergy was a risk factor for current asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of asthma in rural Aboriginal adults is low in comparison with the prevalence among non-Aboriginal Australians, and asthma in Aboriginal children is almost non-existent. The low prevalence of asthma is possibly due to environmental factors that influence the acquisition of atopy and AHR.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Veale
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Peat
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Tovey
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Salome
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Woolcock
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004391:Dust; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology; D012424:Rural Population; D000095283:Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
chemical_list: D004391:Dust