title: Incidence of asthma and its determinants among adults in Spain.
abstract: The objective was to measure the incidence of asthma and its determinants in Spain, where the prevalence of asthma is low to medium. A follow-up of subjects participating in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) was conducted in 1998- 1999 (n = 1,640, 85% of those eligible). Subjects were randomly selected from the general population and were 20 to 44 yr old in 1991-1993. Time of follow-up was on average 6.75 yr (range, 5.3 to 7.9 yr). Asthma was defined as reporting ever having had asthma. The incidence of asthma was 5.53 (95% confidence interval, 4.28- 7.16) per 1,000 person-years (6.88 in females, 4.04 in males). Incidence was highest in subjects who at the baseline survey had bronchial hyperresponsiveness (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 3.85), in those with positive IgE against timothy grass (IRR, 3.16), and in females (IRR, 1.80). These results persisted after adjusting for respiratory symptoms at baseline. There was no significant association (p < 0.2) with high total serum IgE, atopy defined by reactivity to any allergen, smoking, occupational exposure, or maternal asthma. A sensitivity analysis using four definitions of population at risk yielded incidence rates varying from 5.53 to 1.50. In this population of subjects without self-reported asthma or asthma-type symptoms at baseline, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and IgE reactivity to grass appeared as the main determinants of new asthma.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory and Environmental Health Research Unit, IMIM, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Basagaña
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sunyer
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zock
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogevinas
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Urrutia
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Almar
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Payo
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Antó
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology