1.Individual allergens as risk factors for asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in Chinese children.
Yu-zhi CHEN ; Yu MA ; Hong-yu WANG ; Hai-jun WANG ; Jing ZHAO ; Ling CAO ; Shuo LI ; G W K WONG ; Nan-shan ZHONG ; T F FOK ; C K W LAI
Chinese Journal of Pediatrics 2003;41(7):538-541
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the relationship between individual allergens with current wheezing and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in schoolchildren from three chinese cities: Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. METHODS Community-based random samples of 10-yr-old schoolchildren from the 3 cities were recruited for study using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase II protocol. The subjects were studied by parental questionnaires (n = 10,902), skin-prick tests (n = 3478), and methacholine challenge tests (n = 608). RESULTS The highest prevalence rates of wheezing in the past 12 months (Beijing, 3.8%; Guangzhou, 3.4%; Hong Kong, 5.8%) and atopy (Beijing, 23.9%; Guangzhou, 30.8%; Hong Kong, 41.2%, defined as having