An ecological study of the Epidemiology of Asthma in Spain: A 12-year time-series study

Background: Asthma is one of the most common causes of chronic disease, and its incidence has been predicted to be rising for years. Ecological studies with aggregated data, taking into consideration social and economic elements, are interesting because they are limited, especially in the adult population. Methods: An ecological cross-sectional observational study was carried out utilizing anonymous aggregated data from the National Health Survey. The data used are from 2006, 2011, 2014, and 2017 (a 12-year period). Descriptive statistics on the evolution of asthma prevalence and the elements (social, demographic, and economic) that may be connected were gathered. Results: Asthma, one of the leading causes of chronic disease, has not increased in recent years. As we can see from the sequential trends, asthma rates have stayed steady over the last 12 years. Asthma prevalence in Spain increased from 4.45% in 2006 to 4.68% in 2017.Conclusion: We have quantitative data demonstrating the regularity of asthma measurement points across 12 years and the greater prevalence linked to social variables. The asthma time series does not show a steady climb but rather a stabilization of the statistics over 12 years, with a drop in the median age sketching a "V" shape.