title: Prevalence of asthma in North Africa: the Asthma Insights and Reality in the Maghreb (AIRMAG) study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bronchial asthma is the most frequent chronic respiratory disease in both adults and children. The prevalence and burden of asthma vary considerably between different regions of the world. Information on asthma in Africa is fragmentary and relatively old.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this cross-sectional epidemiological survey was to determine the prevalence and burden of asthma in the North African countries of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia using the methodology developed in the Asthma Insights and Reality (AIR) programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  A general population sample was generated using a stratified sampling method based on randomly-generated lists of telephone numbers. The target sample consisted of 10,000 households in each country, which were contacted by telephone. A structured interview was proposed. Two screening questions were asked to identify subjects with asthma. Subjects who met these criteria were then questioned in more detail about their asthma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 30 350 households contacted, 1090 subjects with asthma were identified of whom 872 provided complete data. The age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of asthma was 3.45% [95% CI: 3.09 3.80%] in Algeria, 3.89% [95% CI: 3.52 4.27%] in Morocco and 3.53% [95% CI: 3.18 3.89%] in Tunisia. Prevalence was highest in children and older adults, and in urban areas. Annual incidence rates ranged between 28/10,000 in Tunisia and 46/10,000 in Algeria. 74.3% of adults reported being handicapped by their asthma all or most of the time, 26.4% reported a visit to a hospital emergency department in the previous year and 23.9% absence from work or school due to asthma. 48.0% reported that their sleep was very or quite disturbed by asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of asthma in the Maghreb countries is moderate, but its impact is high.
authors.affiliation: Mustapha Hospital, Algiers, Algeria.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nafti
authors.forename: Samya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taright
authors.forename: Mustapha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El Ftouh
authors.forename: Najiba
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yassine
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benkheder
authors.forename: Hend
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bouacha
authors.forename: Hachemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fakhfakh
authors.forename: Moufida
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ali-Khoudja
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Texier
authors.forename: Abdelkader
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El Hasnaoui
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000352:Africa, Northern / Q000453:epidemiology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult