title: [Prevalence of allergic diseases in Germany: results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1)].
abstract: In the first wave of the "German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults" (DEGS1), up-to-date and representative data regarding allergic diseases of 7988 18- to 79-year-old subjects living in Germany were collected using computer-assisted medical interviews. The study identified a lifetime prevalence of 8.6% for asthma, 14.8% for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, 3.5% each for atopic dermatitis and urticaria, 8.1% for contact eczema, 4.7% for food allergies and 2.8% for insect venom allergies. Overall, nearly one third of adults in Germany have been diagnosed with at least one of the above mentioned allergies during their lifetime by a physician. Currently, nearly 20% suffer from at least one allergic disease. Generally, women reported an allergic disease more frequently than men and younger subjects more frequently than older ones. Additionally, allergies are more common in the former federal states of West Germany than in the former East German federal states. A high socioeconomic status and living in large cities both increase allergy risk. During the last 10 years, asthma prevalence increased about 3%, whereas the prevalence of urticaria and contact eczema declined. The lifetime prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis and food allergies appeared unchanged. In total, allergy prevalence has declined from 32.7-28.7% over the past decade. An English full-text version of this article is available at SpringerLink as supplemental.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General Pape Str. 62-66, 12101 Berlin, Deutschland. u.langen@rki.de
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Langen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steppuhn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult