Low prevalence of asthma in sub Saharan Africa: A cross sectional community survey in a suburban Nigerian town

Summary Background Asthma remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries but the prevalence in Nigeria is not well described. Methods Using the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) standard screening questionnaire and asthma criteria, we rec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Respiratory medicine 2014-11, Vol.108 (11), p.1581-1588
Main Authors: Obaseki, Daniel O, Awoniyi, Francis O, Awopeju, Olayemi F, Erhabor, Gregory E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Asthma
Asthma - epidemiology
Breathlessness
Confidence intervals
Cross-Sectional Studies
Demographics
Developing Countries
Female
Health Surveys
Households
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Nigeria
Nigeria - epidemiology
Population
Prevalence
Pulmonary/Respiratory
Questionnaires
Respiratory
Sex Distribution
Suburban Health - statistics & numerical data
Towns
Young Adult
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Summary:Summary Background Asthma remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries but the prevalence in Nigeria is not well described. Methods Using the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) standard screening questionnaire and asthma criteria, we recruited a representative sample of adults resident in a suburban community in Nigeria through a stratified three-stage cluster sampling technique. Results Out of a total of 3590 individuals contacted, 2310 responded and provided completed data (62.8% female). The prevalence of respiratory symptoms ranged from 0.4% (95% CI: 0.1–0.6) to 9.1% (95% CI: 7.6–10.6). Apart from nasal allergies, the most frequently reported symptoms were ‘woken up by an attack of breathlessness at any time in the last 12 months’ (2.4%, 95% CI: 1.8–3.0) and ‘woken up by an attack of cough at any time in the last 12 months’ (2.9%, 95% CI: 2.0–3.7). The combined proportion of respondents reporting previous asthma attack or currently taking asthma medication within the preceding 12 months (diagnosed asthma) was 1.5%, 95% CI: 1.0–2.0. The proportion with ‘probable asthma’ based on ECRHS criteria of any three symptoms of asthma (woken up by an attack of breathlessness or previous asthma attack or currently taking asthma medication within the preceding 12 months) was 3.1%, 95% CI: 2.0–4.3 for men and 3.3%, 95% CI: 2.4–4.2 for women. Conclusion The prevalence of asthma in this suburban Nigerian population is low. Determinants of adult asthma distribution in low-income setting need further clarification.
ISSN:0954-6111
1532-3064
DOI:10.1016/j.rmed.2014.09.022