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Predictors of disease severity in children with asthma in Hartford, Connecticut

Clare D Ramsey1, Juan C Celedón, Diane L Sredl

  • 1Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. recdr@channing.harvard.edu

Pediatric Pulmonology
|January 26, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Asthma severity in children is linked to ethnicity and allergen exposure. African-American and Puerto Rican children, along with cockroach allergen sensitization, predict more severe childhood asthma.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Allergy and Immunology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood asthma is a significant public health concern in the U.S., disproportionately affecting minority populations.
  • Understanding risk factors for asthma severity is crucial for effective management and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between ethnicity, allergen sensitization, spirometry, and asthma severity in children.
  • To identify predictors of severe asthma in a pediatric population in Hartford, Connecticut.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 438 children (aged 4-18) in an asthma care program.
  • Data collected included spirometry, allergy skin testing, and demographic information.
  • Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for severe asthma.

Main Results:

  • 87.4% of children had mild to moderate asthma; 66.7% had allergen sensitization.
  • Severe asthma was associated with significantly decreased forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC).
  • Predictors of severe asthma included African-American ethnicity (OR=3.70), Puerto Rican ethnicity (OR=3.55), cockroach allergen sensitization (OR=4.34), and decreased FEV1/FVC (OR=1.06 per 1% decrease).

Conclusions:

  • In Hartford children with asthma, African-American and Puerto Rican ethnicity, cockroach allergen sensitization, and reduced FEV1/FVC are significant predictors of disease severity.
  • FEV1/FVC serves as a valuable indicator for assessing asthma severity in pediatric patients.

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