Prevalencia del asma bronquial en niños y sus factores de riesgo. Revisión sistemática

Abstract

Introduction: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood, causing sporadic respiratory difficulty; its prevalence and risk factors vary across countries. It involves inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes. Objective: To analyze the prevalence of bronchial asthma in children and its risk factors through a systematic review. Methodology: A qualitative literature review was conducted based on studies from the last five years obtained from databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus. The search for studies included articles published in English and Spanish, using keywords such as asthma, prevalence, risk factors, children, and, or. Results: The prevalence of asthma in children varies according to each country and city; for example, in the Asian continent, the prevalence ranges from 1% to 35.4%; in the European continent, it is 12.8%; and in Latin America, the prevalence ranges from 2.5% to 22%. In Ecuador, the prevalence is 8% in children, and all these values decrease as age increases. The main identified risk factors are family history of asthmatic parents, environmental pollution, the child's exposure to cigarette smoke, and the child's place of residence. Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma in children is high due to the increasing magnitude of the contributing factors. Keywords: Bronchial asthma, risk factors, children, prevalence, systematic review