TY - JOUR T1 - Prevalence of asthma-like symptoms with ageing JF - Thorax JO - Thorax DO - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2016-209596 SP - thoraxjnl-2016-209596 AU - Debbie Jarvis AU - Roger Newson AU - Christer Janson AU - Angelo Corsico AU - Joachim Heinrich AU - Josep M Anto AU - Michael J Abramson AU - Anne-Marie Kirsten AU - Jan Paul Zock AU - Roberto Bono AU - Pascal Demoly AU - Bénédicte Leynaert AU - Chantal Raherison AU - Isabelle Pin AU - Thorarinn Gislason AU - Rain Jogi AU - Vivi Schlunssen AU - Cecilie Svanes AU - John Watkins AU - Joost Weyler AU - Antonio Pereira-Vega AU - Isabel Urrutia AU - Jose A Gullón AU - Bertil Forsberg AU - Nicole Probst-Hensch AU - H Marike Boezen AU - Jesús Martinez-Moratalla Rovira AU - Simone Accordini AU - Roberto de Marco AU - Peter Burney Y1 - 2017/10/03 UR - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2017/10/03/thoraxjnl-2016-209596.abstract N2 - Background Change in the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms in populations of ageing adults is likely to be influenced by smoking, asthma treatment and atopy.Methods The European Community Respiratory Health Survey collected information on prevalent asthma-like symptoms from representative samples of adults aged 20–44 years (29 centres in 13 European countries and Australia) at baseline and 10 and 20 years later (n=7844). Net changes in symptom prevalence were determined using generalised estimating equations (accounting for non-response through inverse probability weighting), followed by meta-analysis of centre level estimates.Findings Over 20 years the prevalence of ‘wheeze’ and ‘wheeze in the absence of a cold’ decreased (−2.4%, 95% CI −3.5 to −1.3%; −1.5%, 95% CI −2.4 to −0.6%, respectively) but the prevalence of asthma attacks, use of asthma medication and hay fever/nasal allergies increased (0.6%, 95% CI 0.1 to 1.11; 3.6%, 95% CI 3.0 to 4.2; 2.7%, 95% CI 1.7 to 3.7). Changes were similar in the first 10 years compared with the second 10 years, except for hay fever/nasal allergies (increase seen in the first 10 years only). Decreases in these wheeze-related symptoms were largely seen in the group who gave up smoking, and were seen in those who reported hay fever/nasal allergies at baseline.Interpretation European adults born between 1946 and 1970 have, over the last 20 years, experienced less wheeze, although they were more likely to report asthma attacks, use of asthma medication and hay fever. Decrease in wheeze is largely attributable to smoking cessation, rather than improved treatment of asthma. It may also be influenced by reductions in atopy with ageing. ER -