ISAAC I and III in Georgia: time trends in prevalence of asthma and allergies.

ISAAC I and III surveys were carried out in schoolchildren aged 6-7 years from two centres of Georgia to estimate time trends and geographic variations in the prevalence of asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis and atopic eczema symptoms. A standard core questionnaire was used following the ISAAC methodology and was completed by the schoolchildren's parents. The prevalence of symptoms of allergic diseases in Phase I and Phase III was compared. The average prevalence of "current wheezing" almost not changed over 7 years, however there was some heterogeneity across the centres, particularly in Tbilisi centre the prevalence of current wheezing increased by 2.6% and in Kutaisi (it decreased by 2.4%. The symptoms of current rhino-conjunctivitis slightly decreased, but not statistically significant. More significant reduction was observed for symptoms atopic eczema, which was revealed in both centres. The results indicate that the epidemiological features of asthma and allergies in Georgia are changing, although the causes are still uncertain. Different patterns of time trends between centres suggested that there may be local differences in risk factors.