title: Childhood asthma in Batumi, Georgia: Prevalence and environmental correlates.
abstract: A relative lack of data for Eastern Europe and unknown epidemiology of childhood asthma in Batumi (Georgia) justified a study aimed at determining the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma and related respiratory conditions, a comparison of the prevalence of these conditions between urban and rural children, and identification of their environmental correlates.
  
  
  
  Subjects of the cross-sectional population-based study were 3238 urban and 2081 rural children aged 5-17 years whose respiratory status was assessed using the ISAAC questionnaire.
  
  
  
  The overall prevalence of asthma was larger in rural children than in urban children (2.8% vs. 1.8%, respectively; p = 0.01). Spastic bronchitis occurred with similar frequency in urban (7.8%) and rural children (6.5%). Compared with urban children, rural subjects had dry cough at night (13.1 vs 8.2%, p < 0.001) and attacks of dyspnea (4.7 vs 2.4%, p < 0.001) more often. The prevalence of other symptoms did not differ significantly between urban and rural subjects. Results of multivariate analyses showed that both asthma and spastic bronchitis were associated (p < 0.05) with parental history of asthma, dampness in the house, and poor financial standing of the family. In addition, asthma was related to coal/wood-based heating whereas spastic bronchitis was associated with passive smoking and lower parental education.
  
  
  
  The findings show a low prevalence of ever-diagnosed asthma in the examined population. Nosological tradition and similar correlates of asthma and spastic bronchitis suggest that some cases of asthma might be included in the diagnostic category of spastic bronchitis.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Natural Sciences and Health Care, Shota Rustaveli State University , Batumi , Georgia.
authors.forename: Vakhtang
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Beridze
authors.affiliation: b Maternity and Child Health Center , Batumi , Georgia.
authors.forename: Lia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abuladze
authors.affiliation: b Maternity and Child Health Center , Batumi , Georgia.
authors.forename: Naira
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Partenadze
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Natural Sciences and Health Care, Shota Rustaveli State University , Batumi , Georgia.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bakhtadze
authors.affiliation: c Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Canada.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.affiliation: d Department of Epidemiology , School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice , Poland.
authors.forename: Jan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Zejda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005846:Georgia (Republic) / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Asthma; children; epidemiology; questionnaire; underdiagnosis