Bronchial asthma prevalence in childhood.

BACKGROUND: at the moment there is a considerable interest in the international comparison of the bronchial asthma prevalence, stimulated by the growing evidence of an increment in the frequency. The comparison among studies of bronchial asthma prevalence present the problem of the varied and different methodologies used by the authors, as well as of the lack of a clear definition of what is considered bronchial asthma. METHODS: in this work we try to offer a global vision of the studies published on childhood asthma prevalence in the world. CONCLUSIONS: in the studies carried out at European level, they highlight the high figures found in the British Islands superiors to those referred in the countries from the continent to exception of those observed in Switzerland. In Spain the figures of the studies carried out at national level are something below the countries of our environment, although there have been higher figures in studies carried out in Barcelona and Huelva. In Oceannia they are observed from all over the world in general the highest figures, above the American countries and very above the countries of Asia and Africa to exception of South Africa. Although there are considerable geographical differences in its presentation, bronchial asthma is an illness in constant increase in the entire world. It is for this reason that efforts should be carried out in the search of the causes of this increment, as well as in the standardization of the instruments of measure of the appearance of the illness.