The study was developed in response to the increasing mortality rates associated with asthma in many parts of Europe and elsewhere in the mid 1980s. Also, around this time, evidence emerged of an increase in the prevalence of asthma and allergic disease. Co-ordination of the study was funded by the European Commission, and local data collection by a number of grants. See the link to Funding.

Fifty six centres from 25 countries took part in stage 1 of ECRHS I, and 45 in at least part of stage 2.

Financial support for ECRHS I:
Allen and Hanbury's, Australia; Belgian Science Policy Office, National Fund for Scientific Research; Ministère de la Santé, Glaxo France, Insitut Pneumologique d'Aquitaine, Contrat de Plan Etat-Région Languedoc-Rousillon, CNMATS, CNMRT (90MR/10, 91AF/6), Ministre delegué de la santé, RNSP, France; GSF, and the Bundesminister für Forschung und Technologie, Bonn, Germany; The Greek Secretary General of Research and Technology, Fisons, Astra and Boehringer-Ingelheim; Bombay Hospital Trust, India; Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, CNR, Regione Veneto grant RSF n. 381/05.93, Italy; Asthma Foundation of New Zealand, Lotteries Grant Board, Health Research Council of New Zealand Norwegian Research Council project no. 101422/310; Glaxo Farmacêutica Lda, Sandoz, Portugal; Ministero Sanidad y Consumo FIS (grants #91/0016060/00E-05E and #93/0393), and grants from Hospital General de Albacete, Hospital General Juan Ramón Jiménenz, Consejeria de Sanidad Principado de Asturias, Spain; The Swedish Medical Research Council, the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, the Swedish Association against Asthma and Allergy; Swiss national Science Foundation grant 4026-28099; National Asthma Campaign, British Lung Foundation, Department of Health, South Thames Regional Health Authority, UK; United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare Public Health Service (grant #2 S07 RR05521-28).

List of principal participants in ECRHS I

Co-ordinating Centre (London): P Burney, S Chinn, C Luczynska, D Jarvis, E Lai.

Project Management Group: P Burney (Project leader) S Chinn, C Luczynska, D Jarvis, P Vermeire (Antwerp), H Kesteloot (Leuven), J Bousquet (Montpellier), D Nowak (Hamburg), the late J Prichard (Dublin), R de Marco (Verona), B Rijcken (Groningen), JM Anto (Barcelona), J Alves (Oporto), G Boman (Uppsala), N Nielsen (Copenhagen), P Paoletti (Pisa).

Participating Centres: W Popp (Vienna, Austria); M Abramson, J Kutin (Melbourne, Australia); P Vermeire, F van Bastelaer (Antwerp South, Antwerp Central, Belgium); J Bousquet J Knani (Montpellier) F Neukirch, R Liard (Paris) I Pin, C Pison (Grenoble) A Taytard (Bordeaux, France); H Magnussen, D Nowak (Hamburg); H-E Wichmann, J Heinrich (GSF Institute of Epidemiology, Erfurt, Germany); N Papageorgiou, P Avarlis, M Gaga, C Marossis (Athens, Greece); T Gislason D Gislason (Reykjavik, Iceland); J Prichard, S Allwright, D MacLeod (Dublin,Ireland); M Bugiani, C Bucca, C Romano (Turin) R de Marco Lo Cascio, C Campello (Verona) A Marinoni, I Cerveri, L Casali (Pavia, Italy); B Rijcken, A Kremer (Groningen, Bergen-op-Zoom, Geleen, The Netherlands); J Crane, S Lewis (Wellington, Christchurch, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand); A Gulsvik, E Omenaas (Bergen, Norway); JA Marques, J Alves (Oporto, Portugal); Spain: JM Antó, J Sunyer, F Burgos, J Castellsagué, J Roca, JB Soriano, A Tobías (Barcelona), N Muniozguren, J Ramos González, A Capelastegui (Galdakao) J Castillo, J Rodriguez Portal (Seville) J Martinez-Moratalla, E Almar (Albacete) J Maldonado Pérez A Pereira, J Sánchez (Huelva) J Quiros, I Huerta, F Pavo (Oviedo, Spain); G Boman, C Janson, E Björnsson (Uppsala) L Rosenhall, E Norrman B Lundbäck (Umeå) N Lindholm, P Plaschke (Göteborg, Sweden);U Ackermann-Liebrich, N Künzli, A Perruchoud (Basel, Switzerland); M Burr, J Layzell (Caerphilly) R Hall (Ipswich) B Harrison (Norwich) J Stark (Cambridge, UK); S Buist, W Vollmer , M Osborne (Portland, USA)

Main aims

estimate variation in prevalence of asthma, asthma-like symptoms, atopic sensitisation and BR

estimate variation in exposure to known or suspected risk factors for asthma and assess how they
explain variation across Europe

estimate variation in treatment for asthma in Europe

Young adults aged between 20 and 44 years were selected at random from available population based registers to take part in the survey - the databse of ECRHS I contains information from around 140,000 individuals. Fifty six centres across Europe and other parts of the world from 25 countries took part. Each centre recruited about 300 men and 300 women for a detailed assessment of symptoms (respiratory symptoms, nasal symptoms, asthma), factors known or hypothesised to be of importance for allergy and allergic disease (family size, family history of disease, occupation, childhood and current exposure to pets, exposure to tobacco smoke, dampness, ventilation, use of soft furnishings, use of gas appliances) and use of health services and treatment (including use of inhaled steroids) for respiratory disease.