Sarcouncil Journal of Medical Sciences

Abstract: Background: Asthma is considered as one of the most common chronic respiratory illnesses in children across the globe, with a huge proportion of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Knowledge on demographic, clinical, and immunological variables relating to prevalence and emergency care use of asthma is essential in enhancing the outcome of pediatric healthcare. Purpose: To identify the commonness of asthma in children who visit the emergency department and clinical and demographic factors that predict frequent care utilization in emergency departments. Methods: It was a cross-sectional analytical study of 140 pediatric patients (2-14 years old) who visited the emergency department with complaints of respiratory problems in 12 months. Demographic information, clinical variables (FEV1, PEF, eosinophil count, serum IgE), the classification of asthma severity, and ED utilizations were observed. The statistical tests were descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, independent t-tests, and binary logistic regression ( 0.05). Findings: The general prevalence rate of asthma was 62.1% (n=87). The proportion of males (58.6) was higher compared to that of females (41.4%). Among the children, the prevalence was highest (41.4) among those aged 6 -10 years. The results of the logistic regression showed that the severity of asthma (OR=3.82, p=0.001), low FEV1 predicted (OR=2.47, p=0.003), and high serum IgE levels (OR=1.89, p=0.012) were significant predictors of frequent ED visits. Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma in patients with pediatric EDs is high, and the severity and the malfunction of the lung are the most serious predictors of repeated emergency visits. Specialized activities aimed at asthma action plans and controller therapy optimization can decrease the ED load.