Do inhaled steroids differ from cromones in terms of hospital admission rates for asthma in children?
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of hospital admissions in two child populations receiving different types of drugs as their regular medication for steady-state asthma.


METHODS
Annual data on children aged under 16 y treated for asthma, including consumption of regular medication for asthma, numbers of hospital periods, lengths of hospitalizations and annual proportions of readmissions, were collected using patient-specific medical records from 1995 to 1999. In the Kuopio province, on average, 35.6-36.7/1000 children were on maintenance for asthma, of which 23% were receiving cromones, 51% were taking inhaled steroids and 26% were treated with cromones plus intermittent steroids. In the Oulu province, the respective prevalence was 32.7-34.9/1000, and the respective proportions were 5%, 93% and 2%.


RESULTS
Total and first admissions, as well as hospital days were clearly less in the Oulu province. In the children aged > or = 6y, the average annual total admissions were 0.3/1000 (Oulu) vs 1.2/1000 (Kuopio) (p < 0.001). Similarly, the first admissions were 0.2/1000 vs 1.0/1000 (p < 0.001), proportions of readmissions 6.3% vs 19.3% (p < 0.05), and numbers of hospital days 0.7/1000 vs 3.8/1000 (p < 0.001). The differences were in the same direction, though less prominent, also among children 2-5 y of age.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that inhaled steroids are better than cromones in preventing admissions for asthma when two provinces with different practices for maintenance medication of steady-state asthma were compared.
Korhonen
K
K
Department of Paediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland. kaj.korhonen@uku.fi
Dunder
T
T
Klaukka
T
T
Reijonen
T M
TM
Issakoff
K
K
Kiviharju
M
M
Linna
O
O
Remes
K
K
Korppi
M
M
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002867:Chromones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D002867:Chromones