Surveys on the Prevalence of Pediatric Bronchial Asthma in Japan: A Comparison between the 1982, 1992, and 2002 Surveys Conducted in the Same Region Using the Same Methodology

We conducted and reported the first (1982; 55,388 subjects), and second (1992; 45,674 subjects), epidemiological surveys conducted on bronchial asthma in elementary students across 11 prefectures in western Japan. The 2 surveys were conducted in the same regions using the same methodology employing a modified Japanese version of the American Thoracic Society-Division of Lung Diseases (ATS-DLD) Epidemiology Questionnaire. We conducted the third survey in 2002, and compared the findings to those of previous studies.