Biomedical subjects
M R Taylor
Publications and source records attributed to M R Taylor.
Asthma and wheeze in schoolchildren.
In a questionnaire survey of 2813 children aged 4 to 19 years 11.9% reported asthma compared to 4.4% in 1983-4: a rise of 170% over 9 years. The asthma prevalence was 8.35% in girls and 14.8% in boys. The prevalence of wheeze in the past 12 months was 12% in girls and 18.9% in boys. The wheeze prevalence values for 9 year olds were similar to those found in a recent study in Galway. 40.8% of those reporting wheeze in the previous 12 months did not report asthma. This suggests under diagnosis, ineffective communication of the diagnosis to the parents or denial of the diagnosis. 79% of those with asthma reported wheeze and 10.7% reported cough but no wheeze ('cough variant asthma'), emphasising the importance of cough as an indicator of asthma in these children.
Eczema and hay fever in schoolchildren.
In a questionnaire survey of 2,813 children aged 4 to 19 years, eczema prevalence was 7.8% but rose to 21.3% in those with asthma. The prevalence was 5.9% in non-asthmatics. The hay fever prevalence was 12.3% but rose to 36% in those with asthma. The prevalence was 8.9% in non-asthmatics. Hay fever was more common in urban than rural children, but there was no town/country difference for eczema.
Asthma, hay fever and eczema in Irish teenagers (ISAAC protocol).
The national prevalence of asthma, hay fever and eczema, employing the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire, was determined during 1995 in 3148 Junior Certificate secondary school children aged 13-14 years throughout the Republic of Ireland. The prevalence values for asthma, hay fever and eczema were 15.2%, 24.8% and 9.4% respectively. Although 5.4% reported having both asthma and hay fever, combinations of the other allergic conditions were less than 2%. Sex difference in prevalence rates for the various conditions occurred with asthma prevalence being higher for males, eczema in females, but hay fever was almost equally reported between males and females. This data documents the prevalence of teenage asthma with associated allergic conditions in the Republic of Ireland and will allow for present and future comparisons of these conditions with other countries world-wide using the ISAAC protocol.