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Predictors for multiple hospital admissions in children with asthma

F Gürkan1, A Ece, K Haspolat

  • 1Dicle University Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey. fuatgurkan@hotmail.com

Canadian Respiratory Journal
|June 22, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Preventing indoor smoking, particularly maternal smoking, can reduce childhood asthma hospitalizations. Younger children under five years old are at higher risk for asthma admissions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Environmental Health
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Asthma is a leading cause of preventable pediatric hospitalizations.
  • Identifying risk factors for recurrent asthma exacerbations is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate environmental and patient characteristics associated with multiple hospital admissions for acute asthma attacks in children.
  • To identify preventable risk factors for future asthma-related hospitalizations.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 140 children (3-15 years) with asthma admitted to a university hospital over three years.
  • Evaluation of clinical findings, laboratory results, and detailed case histories to identify predictors of hospital admissions.
  • Statistical analysis including Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression.

Main Results:

  • Multiple asthma admissions were observed in 21.4% of children.
  • Significant risk factors for frequent hospital admissions included indoor cigarette smoking, maternal smoking, dermal atopy, allergic conjunctivitis, and age under five.
  • Maternal smoking and age under five were identified as significant independent predictors of multiple hospital admissions via logistic regression.

Conclusions:

  • Reducing indoor smoking, especially maternal smoking, is a key strategy to decrease asthma hospitalizations in children.
  • Children younger than five years old represent a vulnerable group with a higher likelihood of hospitalization for asthma.
Abstract

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