Prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases in Cuba
Keywords:
Asma, alergia, prevalencia, adultos, CubaAbstract
Background: Asthma and other allergies have been classified as epidemic since the last century. In Cuba, the magnitude of these diseases in the general population has been little studied. Objective. To estimate the prevalence of asthma and other allergies and describe it according to variables of interest.
Method: descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study with 15,894 people residing in the country between 2018 and 2020. A questionnaire was applied that included sociodemographic data, family history of allergies, and medication use. Asthma and other allergies were considered based on a referral for medical diagnosis. The results were summarized in percentages, their confidence intervals (95 %), and homogeneity tests based on X2 distribution, with a significant difference if p < 0.05.
Results: the overall prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases was 25.6 %. Reside in urban areas of 26.9 %, more prevalent in women and in ages between 6 and 24 years. Asthma is the most frequent (11.6%), followed by drug allergy (8.4%). Comorbidity is frequent (28.6 %), and the combination of drug allergy and asthma predominates. Eight out of ten patients use some medication, the most commonly used in asthma are bronchodilators and antihistamines in the rest of allergies. 10.0 % of patients receive treatment with antiallergic vaccines.
Conclusions: asthma and other allergic diseases constitute a public health problem in Cuba, which is accentuated in cities, at young ages, and in women. Continuing the studies of this disease should be a priority.
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