Asma na adolescência: prevalência, gravidade e associação com transtornos emocionais e comportamentais

Abstract

Objective: to present results obtained through the protocol of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) in Belo Horizonte, a study which has been used seeking to understand the reasons for increase in prevalence and severity of asthma. Methods: transversal study using the ISAAC written questionnaire in adolescents from 13 to 14 years of age, enrolled in municipal schools of Belo Horizonte. Results: a total of 3088 adolescents were studied (47.4% males). The prevalence of asthma was 17.8%. Among the asthmatics, 10,9 to 17.4% had symptoms compatible to the persistent form of the disease. There were no differences regarding wheezing prevalence in thepast 12 months between genders, but girls responded affirmatively to more questions referring to wheezing at some point in life (p<0,01) and nocturnal coughing in the past 12 months (p<0,01). Among adolescents with history of wheezing in the past 12 months, there was no difference regarding sex, number of crisis or crisis which hindered speech, but girls had a higher rate of sleep affected by wheezing. Conclusions: high prevalence of asthma underscores the need for an assistance programfor asthmatic adolescents, especially when one takes into consideration that 11% to 17% present persistent symptoms, needing prophylactic medication