Background

In Lebanon, asthma is underdiagnosed due to low access to healthcare, particularly in rural areas, although asthma diagnosis in children is based mainly on clinical symptoms. Thus, wheezing might be more suggestive of undiagnosed respiratory diseases including asthma in Lebanese children. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with wheezing in Lebanese children without asthma diagnosis.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2015 and April 2016, enrolling a total of 1203 schoolchildren.

Results

Out of 1500 prepared questionnaires, 1380 questionnaires were distributed in schools, and 1203 (87.17%) were collected back from the parents of children aged between 4–17 years old. The sample included 42 (3.5%) [95% CI 0.025–0.045] children with reported chronic wheezing. A multivariable analysis was performed taking the presence versus absence of wheezing in children as the dependent variable. The results showed that spraying pesticides at home (aOR = 1.91), presence of humidity at home (aOR = 2.21) and child reflux (aOR = 2.60) were significantly associated with the presence of wheezing in children.

Conclusion

The findings of the study suggest that certain environmental factors, such as pesticides, humidity at home and reflux disease, might be associated with wheezing episodes in children. Those factors can be prevented through raising awareness by health care professionals.

中文翻译：

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与黎巴嫩儿童喘息相关的因素：横断面研究的结果。

背景

在黎巴嫩，尽管儿童哮喘的诊断主要基于临床症状，但由于获得医疗保健的机会很少，因此诊断不足，尤其是在农村地区。因此，在黎巴嫩儿童中，喘息可能更提示未确诊的呼吸系统疾病，包括哮喘。本研究旨在确定与没有哮喘诊断的黎巴嫩儿童喘息相关的因素。

方法

这项横断面研究于 2015 年 12 月至 2016 年 4 月期间进行，共招收了 1203 名学童。

结果

在准备好的1500份问卷中，向学校发放了1380份，从4-17岁儿童的家长那里收回了1203份（87.17%）。样本包括 42 (3.5%) [95% CI 0.025–0.045] 报告有慢性喘息的儿童。以儿童喘息的存在与否作为因变量进行多变量分析。结果表明，在家喷洒农药（aOR = 1.91）、家中潮湿（aOR = 2.21）和儿童反流（aOR = 2.60）与儿童喘息的存在显着相关。

结论

研究结果表明，某些环境因素，如杀虫剂、家里的湿度和反流病，可能与儿童喘息发作有关。这些因素可以通过提高卫生保健专业人员的认识来预防。