Rising trends in the prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases among school children in the north-west coastal part of Croatia.

Objective: To estimate time trends in prevalence of symptoms and reported diagnosis related to asthma, allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis and eczema among school children in the north-west coastal part of Croatia.

Methods: Results of two identical cross-sectional surveys conducted on the same area 8 years apart (school years 2001/02 versus 2009/10) in complete adherence to the protocol of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood were compared. Surveyed population comprised two age groups: 6-7 years (n = 1634 versus n = 1052) and 13-14 years (n = 2194 versus 1181).