Increasing incidence of hospitalization for bronchiolitis among Canadian children, 1980-2000.
We evaluated temporal trends in hospitalization for bronchiolitis found among Canadian children for 1980-2000. The rate of hospital admission increased in all provinces over the 2 decades for all age groups but was highest in those aged <6 months. The mean length of stay decreased from 5.4 to 3.1 days (mean rate of decrease, 0.13 days/year; P<.0001). Because a concurrent increase in other respiratory diagnostic codes was not seen, it is unlikely that physician practice variation could explain this consistent trend over almost 2 decades, which may indicate a change in disease prevalence or severity.
Langley
Joanne M
JM
Clinical Trials Research Centre, IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. joanne.langley@dal.ca.
LeBlanc
John C
JC
Smith
Bruce
B
Wang
Elaine E L
EE
D000367:Age Factors; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay