[The environment and the bronchospasm crisis]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Environmental Health
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children.
• Environmental factors are suspected triggers for pediatric asthma exacerbations.
• Understanding these triggers is crucial for effective management and prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between asthmatic crises in children and environmental factors.
• To analyze the influence of atmospheric contamination, meteorological data, and pollen levels on pediatric asthma.
• To identify specific triggers for bronchospastic processes in different age groups.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 893 pediatric asthma emergency cases from 1983-1984.
• Data collected included patient age, sex, and hospitalization rates.
• Correlation analysis with atmospheric pollution (SO2), weather data, and pollen counts.

Main Results:

• Highest incidence of asthma attacks observed during autumn.
• No significant correlation found between asthma attacks and general meteorological data or pollen levels.
• Significant association between asthmatic crises in children over 3 years old and sulfur dioxide (SO2) levels.
• Bronchospastic processes in children under 3 years old were influenced by temperature, with higher incidence during colder months (February).

Conclusions:

• Atmospheric sulfur dioxide (SO2) may be a trigger for asthma exacerbations in children over 3 years old.
• Temperature appears to influence asthma incidence in younger children (under 3).
• Further longitudinal studies are recommended to confirm these findings and draw definitive conclusions.