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Summary. The
prevalence of
allergic diseases in
childhood has
increased
significantly over
the last decades.
Thisincrease seems
to be closely
associated with the
way of life of
western societies.
The high prevalence
differences on
different regions
may be due to
linguistic and
cultural reasons and
not to real
variations in
prevalence. This is
the reason why
several authors felt
the need to perform
an objective
validation of their
versions. Our
working group has
published the
results of the Phase
I validation and now
is publishing the
Phase III validation
in order to
guarantee the
reliability of this
phase results.
The study sample is
formed by 366
children aged 3 to
17 years.
The following steps
were followed in
this study:
1. Assessment of
the Criterion
validity of the
Spanish ISAAC-Bronchial
Asthma
questionnaire,
evaluating the
sensitivity,
specificity,
relative value,
and positive and
negative
predictive
values.
2. Determine the
questionnaire
reliability,
analysing its
Inner
consistency.
3. Statistical
comparison
between our
ISAAC-Bronchial
Asthma results
and the ones
obtained by
other groups
(external
concordance and
consistency), in
order to prove
the previously
evaluated
reliability.
4. Comparison
between the
ISAAC-Bronchial
asthma
questionnaire
diagnostic
ability and the
standard
diagnostic
criteria
universally used
in clinical
praxis.
We
could confirm that
there is a high and
very significant
concordance between
the questions aimed
to detect children
with asthma. In this
sense, it is
especially useful
the question about
ever had wheezing
because of its high
sensitivity (93.3%)
and specificity
(89.9%), that make
it able to be used
as initial screening
test in a general
population, and that
has shown a high
concordance
percentage with the
questions ever had
asthma (98%),
wheezing with
exercise (75%), and
cough at
night(80%).
The questions that
give more
information about
the evolution and
control of the
asthmatic disease
are wheezing in the
last 12 months,
number of attacks
in the last 12
months, wakening
at night, wheezing
with exercise and
dry cough at night
in the last 12
months. The
questions more
related to asthma
severity were
number of attacks
in the last 12
months, wakening
at night, stop
speaking in order to
breath, and
wheezing with
exercise.
We conclude that
ISAAC-Asthma
questionnaire Phase
III is a useful tool
for the assessment
of childhood asthma
due to its criterion
validity, inner
consistency and
external concordance.
Key words:
Prevalence of asthma;
ISAAC questionnaire;
children. |
