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Influenza burden for children with asthma
E Kathryn Miller1, Marie R Griffin, Kathryn M Edwards
1Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Pediatrics
|January 2, 2008
Summary
Children with asthma experience a higher burden of influenza, leading to increased healthcare visits and hospitalizations compared to healthy children. This highlights the need for better influenza prevention strategies in this vulnerable group.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Respiratory health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Asthma is a common chronic respiratory condition in children.
- Influenza poses a significant health risk to children, particularly those with underlying conditions.
- Accurate estimation of influenza disease burden is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the burden of influenza disease in children with asthma versus healthy children.
- To utilize active, laboratory-confirmed, population-based surveillance for accurate disease burden estimation.
- To compare influenza-attributable outpatient visits and hospitalizations between asthmatic and healthy children.
Main Methods:
- Prospective enrollment of children aged 6-59 months hospitalized with acute respiratory illnesses or fever from 2000-2004.
- Enrollment of similar children presenting to clinics and emergency departments during two influenza seasons (2002-2004).
- Estimation of influenza-attributable outpatient visit and hospitalization rates using population-based surveillance data.
Main Results:
- Influenza-attributable hospitalization rates were significantly higher in children with asthma (2.8/1000) compared to healthy children (0.6/1000) aged 6-23 months.
- Outpatient influenza-attributable visit rates were also higher in children with asthma (316/1000) versus healthy children (152/1000) aged 6-23 months.
- Low influenza vaccination rates were reported among children with asthma (<30%).
Conclusions:
- Children with asthma experience a disproportionately high burden of influenza-related healthcare utilization.
- Influenza disease burden is generally higher in children with asthma compared to their healthy peers.
- Findings underscore the importance of influenza vaccination and preventive measures for children with asthma.
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