Childhood wheezing falls in Aberdeen but eczema and allergies are on the rise
30 October 2009

The number of wheezy primary school children in Aberdeen has decreased, asthma remains stable but the incidence of eczema and hay fever have dramatically increased, according to a 40-year follow-up survey funded by Asthma UK.

These results are the latest in a series of long-term studies that began in 1964 to investigate childhood wheezing, asthma and allergies in Aberdeen. Surveys have so far been carried out in 1964, 1989, 1994 and 1999, with the latest one conducted in 2004 by Dr Geraldine McNeill, a Respiratory Epidemiologist at the University of Aberdeen.

Dr McNeill and her colleagues recruited 3,271 primary school children from 32 inner city and suburban schools across Aberdeen. The geographical area and the survey questions were the same as in all the earlier surveys. The researchers asked the children’s parents to report if their child had experienced a wheeze or whistle in their chest, or had ever had asthma, eczema or hay fever symptoms.

Surveys in 1964 and 1999 revealed that the incidence of childhood wheezing almost tripled in this time and the rates of asthma, eczema and hay fever more than quadrupled.  However, the latest survey shows that the rapid increase in wheezing and asthma has ended: the percentage of children with wheeze is dropping, and the rate of asthma shows little change from 1999 to 2004. In contrast, the incidence of eczema and hay fever continues to increase.

Dr Geraldine McNeill says, ‘Our results are similar to those from many other developed countries. The fact that the prevalence of childhood wheezing and asthma seems to have peaked, and yet hay fever and eczema are still rising, suggests that the causes of wheeze and asthma are different from those leading to allergic conditions.’

Gordon Brown, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Asthma UK Scotland says, ‘This 40-year study is providing vital clues, helping us to unpick the causes of wheezing, asthma and allergic conditions, which is the first step in discovering how to prevent them in future.

‘It’s great to see that the incidence of wheezing and asthma in children is decreasing in our community. However, we are concerned about the alarming increase in eczema and hay fever, as if left unchecked, uncontrolled allergy is often linked to asthma in later life.’

This research was published in the November 2009 edition of Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology.