Background
Asthma is a chronic airway disease that largely controllable with proper primary care, and the need for hospitalization can usually be prevented.
Methods
A retrospective study to explore the clinical characteristics of children hospitalized with asthma was conducted at Department of Child Health, West Nusa Tenggara General Hospital, Mataram, Indonesia. All data about medical history and physical examination we got from pediatric asthma registry. Pediatric asthma registry in pediatric respirology division was started in October 2014, so that we presented the characteristics of children hospitalized with asthma from October 2014 to April 2015. We were also taken the number of children admitted with asthma in our emergency department and outpatient clinic at the same period for additional information. We presented the characteristics of our study subjects by table and chart.
Results
Fourteen children hospitalized with asthma were enrolled in this study from October 2014 to April 2015. Ten (71.4%) admitted from emergency department and 4 (28.6%) from outpatient clinic. The numbers of children with asthma who visited at that period were 368 visits at emergency department and 92 visits at outpatient clinic. We found 12 (85.7%) with moderate exacerbation, and 2 (14.3%) with mild exacerbation. Seven of 14 (50%) were referred as severe exacerbation to our emergency department, but after we do reassessment they were moderate exacerbation. Moderate exacerbation with frequent asthma was 10 (71,4%) of all the cases. Most of our subjects were male 9 (64.3%), aged between 2 and under 5 years old about 7 (50%), normal nutrition status 9 (64.3%), first asthma diagnosis at 2 years old in 6 (42.9%) cases, history of hospitalization before 8 (57.1%), used controller 1 (7.1%), history of atopic 9 (64.3%) and history of asthma in family 5 (35.7%), other allergic disease 3 (21.4%), feathered pet 4 (28.6%), cigarette smoking 8 (57.1%). The triggers for the asthma exacerbation were exercise 5 (35.7%), respiratory infection 4 (28.6%), cold weather 2 (14.3%), house dust 2 (14.3%), and food 1 (7.1%).
Conclusions
This study showed that most of children hospitalized with asthma in our setting were moderate exacerbation with frequent asthma, male, aged under 5 years old and first diagnosed at 2 years old, had history of hospitalization before, normal nutrition status, history of atopic in family, and cigarette smoking exposed.
Keywords: asthma in children, hospitalized, characteristic