Changes in the Prevalence of Asthma and Respiratory Symptoms in Western Sweden Between 2008 and 2016

Background: Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, with a noticeable increase in prevalence during the second half of the 20th century. Recent studies assessing the prevalence trends among adults have been inconsistent. We investigated the changes in the prevalence of asthma, respiratory symptoms, and risk factors between 2008 and 2016 in western Sweden.

Methods: The West Sweden Asthma Study (WSAS) is a population-based study which started in 2008 (WSAS I) and then repeated in 2016 (WSAS II) in western Sweden. Randomly selected individuals aged 16-75 years (N = 18 087 in 2008 and N = 24 534 in 2016) completed a questionnaire regarding obstructive lung diseases, respiratory symptoms, potential risk factors, and also questions from the GA LEN survey.

Results: The prevalence of reported ever asthma, physician-diagnosed asthma, use of asthma medication, and current asthma increased significantly from 9.6% to 11%, 8.3% to 10%, 8.6% to 9.8%, and 8.1% to 9.1%, respectively, between 2008 and 2016. There were also increases in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms during the same period. The greatest increase occurred in young adults aged 16-25 years. Female gender, allergic rhinitis, obesity, and family history of asthma remained the strongest risk factors for asthma in 2016 as it was in 2008.

Conclusion: There were moderate increases in asthma and respiratory symptoms in adults in western Sweden between 2008 and 2016, the greatest increase occurring in younger adults. The potential risk factors for asthma remained the same during the study period.