Evaluation of asthma and allergic patients in Samsun region

Objective: Asthma and allergic diseases are important health problems of our society and the world. The prevalence of these diseases is increasing every year. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of asthma and allergic patients in Samsun province and its districts. Material and method: The study is a survey study consisting of questions suitable for the ISAAC (The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) form for students aged 5-18 in randomly selected schools in Samsun and its districts. The analysis of the detected data was performed using the statistical software package SPSS 21. Descriptive statistics were presented as numbers (n) and percentages (%) for categorical variables, numerical variables were presented as mean and standard deviation, and the Kolmagraov-Smirnov test was used to test the conformity of quantitative data to normal distributions. Chi-square test for categorical variables. To determine the statistical significance level, p<0.05 was considered significant at the 95% confidence interval. Results: The study was conducted with a total of 3219 students between the ages of 5-18, 1590 boys and 1629 girls. The number of children who had wheezing complaints at any time in their lives was 634 (19.7%), the number of those diagnosed with allergic bronchitis or asthma by the doctor was 337 (10.5%), and the number of those who had asthma complaints in the last year was 359 (11.1%). The number of children who had allergic rhinitis complaints at any time in their lives 1537 (47.7%), the number of those diagnosed with allergic rhinitis by a doctor 148 (4.6%) and the number of those who had allergic rhinitis complaints in the last year 1137 (35.3%). The number of children with atopic dermatitis complaints at any time in their lives was 412 (12.8%), the number of patients with doctor-diagnosed atopic dermatitis was 101 (3.1%), and the number of children with atopic dermatitis complaints in the last year was 262 (8.1%). In our study, for doctor-diagnosed asthma; family history of allergic disease, male child, living in an urban area, prematurity, exposure to cigarettes in the womb pose a risk. Conclusion: When compared with the study conducted in the same region about 20 years ago; The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma was found to be higher. However, there has been a decrease in the prevalence of wheezing in any period of life and in the last 12 months. The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed allergic rhinitis was found to be lower. However, the prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms at any time in life and in the last 12 months has increased. While the prevalence of physician-diagnosed atopic dermatitis has increased, there has been a decrease in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis symptoms. In studies, mostly allergic disease symptoms were higher than doctor-diagnosed allergic diseases; Informative publications and trainings should be made for families and doctors, and it should be aimed to increase awareness even more. Key words: Asthma, Allergy, Allergic Rhinitis, Atopic Dermatitis, Allergic Diseases, ISAAC