Abstract
Acute exacerbations of asthma are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits and hospitalizations in children. Asthma exacerbations also demonstrate a seasonal pattern in which high rates can be seen at a particular season and knowledge of the seasonal pattern of asthma exacerbation in any locality can improve asthma management. Objective: To determine the prevalence, management outcome and seasonal pattern of emergency department visits for acute exacerbation of asthma. Methods: This was a retrospective review of the emergency department register of all asthma admissions in the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Portharcourt, Nigeria over a five year period from January 2014 to December 2018. Results: A total of 205 (2.9%) asthma-related visits were recorded out of 7046 emergency room visits. The mean age of the patients was 6.1 (±4.2) yrs, with an M:F ratio of 1.97:1. The median length of hospital stay was 24 hrs. Children older than 11 yrs were more likely to be admitted for >48 hrs (OR 4.18, 95% CI; 1.67, 10.39, P; 0.003). Emergency department visits for asthma were more in the rainy season April-September 129 (63.9%) with a peak in May. There is a significant variation in the seasonal pattern of emergency room asthma admission with age (P = 0.018). Children >3 yrs have their highest admission rates in May while younger children experience two peaks in February and November. Conclusion: Asthma exacerbation is more in rainy season among children in Portharcourt although there is a variation in seasonal pattern of asthma exacerbation with age.
Highlights
Asthma exacerbations are acute or subacute episodes in which there is a progressive increase in asthma symptoms such that urgent health care is usually required [1]
This study was a retrospective review of the hospital records of children who were admitted into the children emergency ward of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port-Harcourt, Nigeria from January 2014 to December 2018
A total of 7046 admissions were recorded from January 2014 to December 2018 out of which 205 were for acute exacerbation of asthma, making the overall prevalence rate of asthma related emergency room admission to be 2.9%
Summary
Asthma exacerbations are acute or subacute episodes in which there is a progressive increase in asthma symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing, wheezing and chest tightness) such that urgent health care is usually required [1]. Acute exacerbations of asthma are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits and hospitalizations in children. In a national survey in the USA, the number of persons with at least one asthma attack within a 12 month period increased by 2.6% annually from 11 million persons in 2003 to 13.9 million persons in 2010. The prevalence rate in children was 5.2% to 5.5% from the national survey [3]. While in Nigeria acute asthma accounted for 6.5% of emergency room admissions [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
