Asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in 5-12-year-old school children across Lebanon.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in Lebanese children.

STUDY

DESIGN

Descriptive cross-sectional study on children in public and private schools in Lebanon.

METHODS

Standardized written questionnaires were distributed to 5-12-year-old students at 22 schools.

RESULTS

In total, 3909 individuals were analysed. The prevalence of diagnosed asthma (4.8%) was low, while the prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 21.2% and that of eczema was 11.8%. Marked variations and differences were found across the governates in Lebanon, with the lowest prevalence of diagnosed asthma (1.8%) in Bekaa and the highest prevalence in Beirut (11.6%).

CONCLUSION

Asthma symptoms, rhinitis and eczema have medium prevalence in Lebanon compared with worldwide data. Compared with other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the prevalence of 12 months of wheezing, night cough and wheezing on exercise were highest in Lebanon, but were much lower compared with English-speaking countries. Further studies are needed to understand the environmental, climatic and socio-economic causes of these discrepancies.