Epidemiological Trends in Asthma

Defining asthma in epidemiological studies.

It has been suggested that, in epidemiological studies, asthma should be defined as symptomatic bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). This paper critically examines the validity of this and alternative methods of defining asthma by reviewing population-based studies validating BHR and symptom questionnaires against asthma defined on the basis of a clinical assessment. It is emphasized that a sin...

Epidemiological trends in skin cancer

Skin cancer, including melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), represents the most common type of malignancy in the white population. The incidence rate of melanoma is increasing worldwide, while the associated mortality remains stable, or is slightly decreasing. On the other hand, the incidence for NMSC varies widely, with the highest rates reported in Australia. In the current review, w...

Epidemiological Trends in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, accounting for approximately 10% of the world total with 782,800 new cases in 1990 (Table 1) (1). In 1990, it accounted for 437,000 deaths (2). It is particularly common in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Europe, is rare in Asia, and is uncommon in Africa. In developed countries, the lifetime probability of develo...

National Trends in Asthma Visits and Asthma

Current trends of the prevalence of childhood asthma in three Chinese cities: a multicenter epidemiological survey.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the prevalence of asthma and asthma related symptoms among children aged 0-14 years in three Chinese cities and to obtain a crude estimation of the trend of childhood asthma prevalence in China. METHODS A cross-sectional, population-based survey of prevalence of asthma was conducted in children aged from 0 to 14 years in 3 major cities of China (Beijing, Chongqing, and Gu...