The effects of COVID-19 outbreak on pediatric emergency department admissions for acute wheezing.
Pediatr Pulmonol
; 57(5): 1167-1172, 2022 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1694659
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Acute wheezing is a common clinical presentation of viral respiratory infections in children, which can also be caused by exposure to allergens and, rarely, by foreign body inhalation. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak, several public health interventions have been adopted to reduce viral spread. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) admission for acute wheezing. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
We compared demographics and clinical data of patients admitted to the ED for acute wheezing during the COVID-19 outbreak and in the 5 previous years through a retrospective cross-sectional study.RESULTS:
During the COVID-19 outbreak we observed an average drop of 83% in pediatric ED admission for acute wheezing, compared to the 5 previous years. In this period, 121 (80.7%) children presented with wheezing and 29 (19.3%) with bronchiolitis. The mean age of the sample was higher compared to the 5 previous years. We also noted an increased number of children presenting with higher acuity color codes during the COVID-19 period, while no differences emerged as for the hospitalizations. During the pandemic we recorded a decrease in the number of viral infections detected. Only two cases of wheezing associated with SARS-CoV-2 were identified.CONCLUSION:
The COVID-19 outbreak and the national lockdown led to a drop of the number of admission to the ED for wheezing in children. This could be due to a reduction in the circulation of common respiratory viruses and partially to a reduced exposure to aeroallergens during the COVID-19 period. Future epidemiological surveillance studies will be needed to support these prelimianry findings.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Pediatr Pulmonol
Journal subject:
Pediatrics
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ppul.25858
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