Prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis among 6-7 years old children in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: ISAAC

Background: Asthma and allergic disease in children is increasing in many Western countries but such trend has not been well-defined in Mongolian populations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms of asthma and allergic rhinitis among students between 6 and 7 years of age in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Materials and Methods: We were randomly chosen 401 children aged 6-7 years who live in different districts of Ulaanbaatar city. This cross-sectional study was followed the methodology of International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). We were interviewed parents and legal guardians of children using little bit modified questionnaire of ISAAC. Results: Gender distribution of children 6-7 years old were similar (49.6% boys, 50.4% girls). The prevalence of wheezing or whistling ever was 32.9% (n=131), which in the ISAAC study is considered representative of the cumulative prevalence of asthma, the prevalence of wheezing or whistling in the last 12 months (prevalence of current asthma) was 21.4% (n=86), and the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 2.5% (n=10). Prevalence of current asthma and allergic rhinitis was no significant difference between boys and girls (p=0.466) (p=0.121). Conclusions: Prevalence of current asthma and allergic rhinitis among 6-7 years old children was 21.4% (95% CI,17.4-25.5), 28.4% (95% CI,24.0-32.9) in Ulaanbaatar. The low prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma suggests that asthma continues to be underdiagnosed. Key words: Asthma, allergic rhinitis, 6-7 years old children, prevalence, Ulaanbaatar