This webpage was last updated on 07/09/011
ECRHS

European Community Respiratory Health Survey

 

What is ECRHS I?

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What is ECRHS I & II
What is ECRHS III
Project Partners
ECRHS III Staff
Co-ordinating Centre
Steering Committee
Working Groups
Central Laboratory
Reports
Questionnaires & Protocols
Publications

Progress

Links
ERS Munich 2006
ERS Copenhagen 2005
Funding for ECRHS III

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.

 

 

 

During a clinical examination blood was taken for measurement of specific IgE to house dust mite, cat, grass and Cladosporium (mould) and total IgE. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and bronchial reactivity to methacholine were measured. In addition, each centre also assessed a sample of about 150 adults with symptoms highly suggestive of asthma.

Click on Publications to see a list of all ECRHS published papers.

The maps below detail the prevalence of asthma, the prevalence of atopy and the distribution of bronchial hyper-responsiveness based on data collected in ECRHS I. Complete information was not available for all centres.

What is ECRHS II?

ECRHS II was a nine year follow-up prospective survey of more than 10,000 young adults which began in 1998. It was a collaborative study and aimed to collect data from 29 centres in 14 countries (mostly European). The study was funded by the European Commission, as well as other sources, as part of their Quality of Life Programme. Major papers have already been published, and many more are in preparation by Working Groups. See link to Publications.

The aims of ECRHS II were:

1. To determine the incidence and prognosis of allergy, allergic disease (asthma, hayfever and eczema) and low lung function in adults.

2. To describe the distribution of exposure to known or suspected environmental risk factors associated with the incidence and prognosis of allergy, allergic disease and low lung function.

3. To determine the risk attributable to chronic exposure to these environmental risk factors for the incidence and prognosis of allergy, allergic disease and low lung function.

4. To identify subgroups within the population based on gender, prior disease status, bronchial responsiveness and genetic risk who may be more susceptible to these environmental risk factors and measure their excess risk.

5. To establish a bank of blood samples suitable for DNA extraction taken from representative samples of the population that can be linked to health and environmental information.

In ECRHS II, in 29 centres, individuals who took part in the clinical stage of ECRHS I were sent a short screening questionnaire and hose who responded were invited to a local fieldwork centre, situated in an outpatient or lung function laboratory in a local hospital or centre. Environmental information was collected by home visits in a subsample of homes, and past and current exposure to air pollution was assessed through retrieval of air pollution records and by a programme of air pollution monitoring.

In the fieldwork centre the following procedures were performed:

Detailed administered questionnaire asking about symptoms, exposure to known or suspected risk factors for asthma, and health service utilisation;

Self completion of the SF-36, a validated and widely used quality of life questionnaire, and AQLQ, a disease-specific measure of quality of life;

Venepuncture - blood was taken for measurement of specific IgE to house dust mite, grass, cat and Cladosporium, as well as total IgE; in some centres samples were stored for later use in DNA studies;

Measurement of lung function (FEV1 and FVC);

Bronchial challenge testing.