[Clinical characteristics of 125 hospitalized patients with thunderstorm asthma in Lanzhou]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with thunderstorm asthma. Methods: Clinical data from 125 patients with thunderstorm asthma admitted to four tertiary hospitals in Lanzhou City after a thunderstorm on September 19, 2024, were retrospectively collected. Statistical methods, including the chi-square test and independent samples t-test among others were used to evaluate demographic information, clinical manifestations, medical history, pulmonary function, laboratory findings, and prognosis. Results: Among the 125 patients, 78 were male and 47 were female, with a median age of 35 years. The cohort was categorized into three age groups:<14 years (n=43), 14-60 years (n=52), and>60 years (n=30), and further divided into non-severe (n=67) and severe (n=58) groups. The primary clinical manifestations included chest tightness (77.6%, 97/125) and cough (64.8%, 81/125). Regarding medical history, 63 patients reported an Artemisia/pollen allergy, 51 had allergic rhinitis, and 22 had bronchial asthma. Severe obstructive ventilation dysfunction was observed in 19 cases (25.0%, 19/76). Serum total IgE was elevated in 73 cases (91.3%, 73/80), with the highest allergen-positive rate reported for Artemisia (81.1%, 60/74). Pairwise comparisons indicated that the proportion of severe cases was significantly higher in males than in females [53.8% (42/78) vs. 34.0% (16/47), χ²=4.63, P=0.031]. By age, the proportion of severe cases in the >60 group was significantly higher than that in the 14-60 [70.0% (21/30) vs. 44.2% (23/52), χ²=7.84, P=0.005] and <14 [32.6% (14/43), χ²=12.36, P<0.001] age groups. Furthermore, the proportion of severe cases was significantly higher in patients without than in those with a history of asthma [50.5% (52/103) vs. 27.3% (6/22), χ²=3.93, P=0.047]. The length of hospital stay in the severe group was significantly longer than that in the non-severe group [(8.3±2.6) d vs. (5.4±2.1) d, t=6.90, P<0.001]. Within the severe cohort, 10.3% (6/58) required non-invasive ventilation, and all patients achieved a favorable prognosis. Conclusions: The majority of hospitalized patients with thunderstorm asthma were male, with the highest prevalence observed in the 14-60 age group. Most patients had a history of Artemisia/pollen allergy and allergic rhinitis. Male sex, advanced age (>60 years), and the absence of asthma history were identified as high-risk factors for developing severe conditions. Health education for these high-risk populations should be prioritized.