Epidemiology and severity of bronchial asthma among school-aged children in Enugu State, South-East, Nigeria

Background: Bronchial asthma is a common chronic respiratory illness affecting all age groups but mainly children and constitutes a major global health problem. Higher prevalence has been noted in highincome countries with reports of increasing prevalence among the population in low-income countries of Asia and Africa. Objective: To determine the epidemiology of bronchial asthma among school-aged children in rural and urban areas of Enugu State, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study of children aged 8 to 12 years selected by multistage sampling method from primary schools in the urban and rural communities in Enugu state of Nigeria was performed. Information was obtained from consenting parents/caregivers on probable asthma symptoms/signs using modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. Result: An overall prevalence of bronchial asthma was 11.3%, with urban and rural areas respective prevalence of 13.1% and 11.2%. More males than females were affected in both communities (urban 13.4% vs 12.8% and rural 11.2% vs. 10.2%) respectively. Daytime wheezes (≤ 3 episodes per week) with school absence were the dominant cause of morbidity. History of atopic diseases was noted in 25.7% urban and 23.4% rural children. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of bronchial asthma among school aged children in our community particularly among the urban population. The need for more enlightenment programs for the public on the high prevalence of bronchial asthma in our locality as comparable with Western countries, some of its symptoms and its potential morbidity especially in our school-aged children. This may necessitate some general intervention like education on environmental modification to minimize trigger factors.