Have asthma symptoms in Mexico changed in the past 15 years? Time trends from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood to the Global Asthma Network

Abstract

Background: The Global Asthma Network (GAN) builds on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Objective: To compare asthma prevalence time trends in primary and secondary school children in four Mexican centers participating in ISAAC and GAN. Methods: GAN is a cross-sectional, multicenter, epidemiological methodology carried out in groups of primary school children aged 6–7 and adolescents aged 13–14 following the ISAAC Phase Three protocol, with additional questions on risk factors and asthma management. Results: Overall, the prevalence of asthma symptoms and diagnosis in primary school children was higher in males than in females both in ISAAC (p < 0.05) and in GAN (p < 0.01), while adolescent females had a higher prevalence, also both in ISAAC (p < 0.001) and in GAN (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma and its symptoms has increased from ISAAC Phase Three since 2003 to GAN Phase I in Mexico in 2019. These findings are in line with the increases observed in the centers with low asthma baseline prevalence in ISAAC Phase One in comparison with ISAAC Phase Three.