An unusually high prevalence of asthma in Ethiopian immigrants to Israel.

Abstract

Asthma is 3 times as prevalent in adults of Ethiopian origin, compared with the general population in our clinics, and markedly increased above the rate reported for newly immigrated Ethiopian Jews. We conclude that the move from the rural hills of Ethiopia to the more urban and industrialized setting of Israel has resulted in an increased prevalence of asthma in this population, but the specific cause is uncertain.