Risk factors for hospital admission for asthma from childhood to young adulthood: a longitudinal population study

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Finn Rasmussen1, D Robin Taylor, Erin M Flannery

  • 1Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St Joseph's Healthcare, and McMaster University, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4A6, Canada.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|August 10, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Asthma hospitalizations occur in a significant portion of the general population, extending into adulthood. Key risk factors for asthma admission include early symptom onset, atopy, and airway hyperresponsiveness.

Area of Science:

  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Predictors of childhood and young adult asthma hospitalizations are poorly understood due to reliance on selected populations.
  • General population data is crucial for defining asthma hospitalization risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify risk factors associated with single and multiple hospital admissions for asthma.
  • To investigate predictors of asthma-related hospitalizations in a general population cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based birth cohort of 1037 New Zealanders was followed for 26 years.
  • Participants underwent repeated assessments including questionnaires, lung function tests, airway responsiveness, and allergy testing.

Main Results:

  • Of 766 individuals with wheezing, 62 experienced 136 asthma hospitalizations (8.3% of those at risk).
  • Hospital admissions occurred across childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood.
  • Admitted individuals were more likely male, had earlier symptom onset, higher atopy, and greater airway hyperresponsiveness.

Conclusions:

  • A substantial proportion of the unselected population required asthma hospitalization over 26 years.
  • Frequent respiratory symptoms, airway hyperresponsiveness, atopy, and reduced lung function are key indicators for high asthma hospitalization risk, especially for multiple admissions.
Abstract

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