BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IN CHILDREN OF THE GRODNO REGION: PREVALENCE, INCIDENCE, LONG-TERM EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRENDS IN DISEASE DYNAMICS

Background. Bronchial asthma is the most widespread chronic nonspecific lung disease in children. Monitoring the prevalence of asthma is an important part of a set of measures aimed at preventing and effectively treating the disease. Purpose of the study. To study the long-term dynamics of the main epidemiological indicators of the overall and primary incidence of asthma in the child population of the Grodno region. Material and methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of the indicators of the overall and primary incidence of bronchial asthma in children of the Grodno region. The study period was 1999-2023 years for children aged 0-14 years and 2008-2023 years for children of 15-17 years old. Results. The long-term average standardized indicator of the overall incidence of bronchial asthma in children aged 0-14 years (1999-2023) was 597.13 (95% CI: 562.88-631.37), that of primary incidence – 79.94 (95% CI: 67.52-92.37) per 100,000 children of the corresponding age. The long-term average incidence of bronchial asthma in children aged 15-17 years (2008-2023) was 1157.69 (95% CI: 1070.69-1244.71), that of primary incidence – 44.29 (95% CI: 33.52-55.05) per 100,000 children of this age. In the age group of 0-14 years, the overall incidence of bronchial asthma was dominated by children aged 10-14 years, the primary incidence – by children of 5-9 years old. The long-term epidemic dynamics were characterized by a moderately pronounced tendency towards an increase in the standardized indicator of the overall incidence in children aged 0-14 years (average growth rate =+1.32%) and those aged 15-17 years (average growth rate =+2.87%), stabilization of the indicator of primary morbidity in children of 0-14 years old (average rate of decline = -0.49%) and a downward trend in the rate of primary morbidity (average rate of decline = -3.48%) in children aged 15-17 years. The levels and average long-term trends in the dynamics of indicators in individual territorial and administrative districts of the region have been established. The trends in the dynamics of asthma incidence rates in the administrative territories of the region during the analyzed period were multidirectional and had varying degrees of stability. The cartograms of the territorial distribution of bronchial asthma incidence rates in children of the Grodno region in the periods 1999-2023 (0-14 years) and 2008-2023 (15-17 years) are presented. Conclusions. The reasons for the established patterns in changes in the incidence of bronchial asthma in children of different age groups and those living in different territories require further study.