RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most frequent illnesses in the pediatric age, the exacerbations account for one of the main consult causes to the emergency services. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of the consultation demand and the recurrence of patients with acute crisis of asthma. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A transverse study, performed at the service of pediatric emergencies, included pediatric patients with acute crisis of asthma from January to December, 2000. RESULTS: In this study 20.3% of the consultations were due to acute crisis of asthma, 54.29% needed handling in the service of pediatric emergencies with inhalotherapy; 94.3% responded to the treatment. The gender masculine-feminine relationship was of 1.7:1. The predominant ages were from 3 to 5 years. The consultation increased in September, October and November. CONCLUSIONS: When asthma is mistreated may present exacerbations.
