Asthma epidemics and air pollution

BMJ 1996;312:1606 (22 June)

Letters

Asthma epidemics and air pollution

Upper respiratory tract infection and fall in atmospheric temperaturemay lead to attacks of childhood asthma

EDITOR,--Adrian Bauman suggests that epidemics of asthma mayyield clues to causal agents.¹ We report such an epidemic ineast Birmingham in 1987.

Between 14 September and 7 October, 86 children meeting ourcase definition for asthma (reversible wheeze, reversible dyspnoea,or tachypnoea with wheezing) were admitted to Birmingham HeartlandsHospital, a rate 3.58 times higher than that in the precedingfour weeks and 3.44 times higher than that in the same periodin 1986. There were 12 patients aged under 2, 37 aged 2-4, 26aged 5-9, and 11 aged >/=10--a similar distribution to thatin the previous year. More boys were admitted than girls (55v 31; relative risk 1.77 (95% confidence interval 1.16 to 2.86)),as in the previous year. Sixty four children were white, 20Asian, and two African-Caribbean, reflecting . . . [Full text of this article]