Abstract

Background:This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of asthma and allergic disease among school children aged 6-7years and 13-14years in Dubai and the northern Emirates,United Arab Emirates.Patients and methods:This was a multicenter,cross-sectional study that recruited children from March to June 2019 via school class registers in Dubai and the Northern Emirates,UAE.The Arabic and English versions of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) core questionnaires on asthma,allergic rhinitis,and atopic dermatitis were completed by parents or legal guardians of children aged 6?7years,and by the children themselves in those aged 13?14years.Results: In this study,we included 3436 children(1944 children aged 6?7years and 1793 children aged 13?14 years).We estimated the prevalence of asthma (11.9%), wheezing (44.2%), allergic rhinitis (46.5%), hay fever (22.1%), and atopic dermatitis (12.9%) in the 6-7 year-old group.In the 13- to 14-year-old group, the prevalence was 9.8%,33.1%,51.3%, 19.9%,and 14.6%, respectively.The prevalence of any history of asthma was higher in boys than girls in the 6-7year-old group (13.9% vs. 10%) and in the 13- to 14-year-old group(11.2% vs. 8.7%)In the 6-7 year-old group,the highest prevalence of asthma, sneezing, and atopic dermatitis was observed in Dubai,Ajman,and Umm Al Quwain,respectively.Conclusion:We found that the prevalence of asthma,allergic rhinitis,and atopic dermatitis in the UAE is comparable to that in neighboring countries,the prevalence of asthma,wheezing,and hay fever was higher in the 6-7years old group,while in the 13-14 yrs group the prevelance of allergic rhinities& atopic dermatitis was higher.