National trends in asthma prevalence in South Korea before and during the COVID-19 pandemic 1998-2021

Abstract

To the Editor,Since the COVID-19 pandemic has a drastic effect on diverse allergic diseases, research on the critical impact of COVID-19 on asthma has been highlighted internationally. According to previous studies, the prevalence of asthma increased worldwide over the past decades due to pandemic.1, 2 However, previous studies reported in South Korea have conflicting evidence on whether the prevalence of asthma has decreased or increased, especially among adolescents.3 Thus, to further understand the context of this extraordinary trend, we examined the trends of age-stratified asthma prevalence in South Koreans before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.4 The effects of age and other socioeconomic and environmental variables on these trends were analysed using data collected from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), 1998–2021.5 An annual survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 1998–2021...</p