Trends in symptoms of obstructive lung disease in Norway
OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in symptom burden by asthma diagnosis, age and sex.
DESIGN: We performed two postal cross-sectional studies among adults aged 15–70 years in Oslo, Norway, in 1972 and again in 1998/1999 (total = 39998). Changes in 11 self-reported respiratory symptoms were investigated.
RESULTS: The prevalence of having at least one symptom increased from 50% to 60% (P < 0.001), and the distribution of symptoms showed an overall increase. Nine symptoms increased in prevalence. The increase was largest among the young and females, and was present in both those with and those without asthma. For any given number of reported symptoms, asthma prevalence was higher in 1998 than in 1972, suggesting increased case finding.
CONCLUSION: There has been an increase in the population burden of respiratory symptoms matching the observed increase in young adult asthma, together with a probable increase in the clinical willingness to give an asthma diagnosis.
Keywords: asthma/epidemiology; cross-sectional studies; epidemiology/trends; respiratory signs and symptoms; retrospective studies
Document Type: Regular Paper
Affiliations: 1: Department of Thoracic Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 2: Centre for Clinical Research, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; and Section for Medical Statistics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 3: Department of Thoracic Medicine, National Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway 4: The Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway
Publication date: 01 December 2004
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