Artykuł oryginalny/Original research article Porównanie częstości występowania astmy i chorób alergicznych oraz czynników ich rozwoju w zależności od miejsca zamieszkania w województwie pomorskim Comparison of the prevalence of allergic diseases and risk factors of asthma development in urban and rural Pomeranian region Marlena Sztormowska 1, *, Piotr Skonieczny 1 , Marek Niedoszytko 2 , Marta Chełmińska 2 , Ewa Jassem 2 1 Studenckie Koło Naukowe Alergologii, Klinika Alergologii Katedry Pneumonologii i Alergologii Gdańskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego, Gdańsk, Polska 2 Klinika Alergologii Katedry Pneumonologii i Alergologii Gdańskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego, Gdańsk, Polska a l e r g o l o g i a p o l s k a - p o l i s h j o u r n a l o f a l l e r g o l o g y 3 ( 2 0 1 6 ) 7 9 – 8 3 i n f o r m a c j e o a r t y k u l e Historia artykułu: Otrzymano: 02.06.2016 Zaakceptowano: 06.06.2016 Dostępne online: 11.06.2016 Słowa kluczowe:  astma  choroby alergiczne  epidemiologia Keywords:  Asthma  Alergic disases  Epidemiology a b s t r a c t Introduction: The studies on the epidemiology of allergic diseases indicate at the diffe- rence in prevalence depending on the place of residence. The study Epidemiology Aller- gic Diseases in Poland (ECAP) showed that citizens have a higher prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases. Research compared the major Polish cities and rural areas of Zamojszczyzna. Observations of patients living in Pomeranian region suggest to the mixed character of the rural Pomeranian area and similar prevalence as in the Tri-City agglomeration. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, food aller- gies, allergy to insect venom and drugs) in the population of the province of Pomerania, among patients living in the city and countryside. The second objective was to evaluate the significance of the factors predisposing to the development of asthma and allergy (sex, smoking, having a bird or cat, housing conditions). Methods: The analysis was based on the research questionnaire containing questions used in epidemiological stu- dies ISAC, ECHRS, ECAP constructed for the study. Statistical analysis of the collected results was made in the program Statistica v.12, x 2 test. The research group consisted of 619 people – 457 women and 162 men, 180 residents of villages and 439 urban residents. Results: A statistically significant difference and a higher incidence were found in patients with food allergies (p = 0.0002); urticaria (p = 0.009); atopic dermatitis (p = 0.0025); allergies to drugs (p = 0.0001). There were no differences in the prevalence, depending on the place of residence, of asthma (p = 0.5), allergic rhinitis (p = 0.056), allergic conjunctivi- * Adres do korespondencji: Klinika Alergologii Katedry Pneumonologii i Alergologii Gdańskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego, ul. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 3A, 80-210 Gdańsk, Polska. Adres email: marlena.szt@gmail.com (M. Sztormowska). Dostępne online www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/alergo http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.alergo.2016.06.003 2353-3854/© 2016 Polish Society of Allergology. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.