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[Infantile asthma within a health area: the population affected and its characteristics]
A Meana1, M Moreno, C Muruzábal
1Centro de Salud de la Calzada, Gijón, Asturias.
Insights
Infantile asthma affects 9.6% of children in primary care settings, with most symptoms appearing before age three. Early detection and management in primary care are crucial for these young patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Infantile asthma is a common chronic respiratory condition in children.
- Understanding its prevalence and characteristics is vital for effective healthcare planning.
- Primary care settings play a significant role in managing childhood asthma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of infantile asthma in children attending a health center.
- To characterize the demographic and clinical features of children with infantile asthma.
- To assess the healthcare management of infantile asthma within the primary care setting.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive crossover study was conducted in 1991 within a primary care setting.
- Data were collected from children aged 2 to 14 years attending the health center.
- Prevalence, clinical characteristics, family history, comorbidities, asthma severity, and healthcare management were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Asthma prevalence was 9.6% (349 children), with a male predominance (59%).
- Symptoms often began before age 3 (74%), with a high prevalence of family history (72% asthma, 45% allergic rhinitis).
- Comorbidities included allergic rhinitis (58%) and atopic dermatitis (20%); 70% were passive smokers, and 55% had mild asthma.
Conclusions:
- Infantile asthma has a significant prevalence (9.6%) in primary care attendees.
- Early onset of symptoms in infancy is common.
- Primary care effectively manages a majority of these cases, highlighting its importance in pediatric asthma care.
Objective:
To discover the prevalence and the characteristics of the population group affected by infantile asthma and attended at a Health Centre.
Design:
Descriptive crossover study, conducted throughout 1991.
Setting:
Primary Care.
Patients:
Patients between 2 and 14 attending the Health Centre.
Measurements And Main Results:
We identified 349 children suffering from asthma (9.6% of the child population). 206 (59%) were male and 143 (41%), female. 45% of these children had shown symptoms suggesting asthma before their first birthday; 74% before they were 3; and 90% before 7. Family histories of asthma existed in 72%, of allergic rhinitis in 45% and atopic dermatitis in 17%. Out of the asthmatic children, 58% had allergic rhinitis and 20% atopic dermatitis. As to severity, 55% suffered light asthma, 31% moderate asthma and the remaining 14%, severe asthma. 79% had follow-up control of their asthma at the Health Centre. The rest were controlled by professionals outside the Centre (allergologists, pneumologists, hospital paediatricians etc.). 70% of the asthmatic children were passive smokers.
Conclusions:
Infantile asthma has 9.6% prevalence among the children attending our Health Centre. These patients are generally cared for in Primary Care. Usually their symptoms have started in very early infancy.