Estimated prevalences of respiratory symptoms, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease related to detection rate in primary health care

Abstract

Respiratory symptoms as well as asthma were common in this study and equivalent to earlier findings. The difference between the epidemiologically estimated prevalence of asthma and the lower detection rate in primary health care can be explained by at least three factors: persons who did not seek any care, were underdiagnosed or attended other health care providers.