Sarangerel D^1*, Davaa G², Munkhbayarlakh S¹

¹Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Bio-Medicine, Health Sciences University of Mongolia

²Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Health Sciences University of Mongolia

Introduction: Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children in developed countries and requires a considerable amount of health and social resources, as it is a heavy burden both for patients and their families and society.

In recent years, there is no scientific epidemiological data about prevalence of respiratory allergies among children in Mongolia. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of respiratory allergies in children aged 6-7 years in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Materials and Methods: 401 children were randomly chosen aged 6-7 years who live in different districts of Ulaanbaatar city. This cross-sectional study followed the methodology of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). The parents and legal guardians of children were interviewed using a modified questionnaire of ISAAC.

Results: Gender distribution of children 6-7 years old were similar (49.6% boys, 50.4% girls). 32.9 % (n=131) presented wheezing or whistling ever and 21.4% (n=86) reported wheezing or whistling in the last 12 months of all children. The prevalence of current asthma revealed no significant difference between boys and girls (p=0.466). The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was found in 2.5% (n=10).  

Conclusions: The prevalence of current asthma, allergic rhinitis, and rhinoconjunctivitis was 21.4% (95% CI, 17.4-25.5), 28.4% (95% CI, 24.0-32.9), and  19.0% (95% CI, 15.1-22.8) among 6-7-year-old children in Ulaanbaatar, respectively. The low prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma suggests that asthma continues to be underdiagnosed and consequently undertreated.