title: Risk factors for pediatric intensive care admission in children with acute asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severe acute asthma in children is associated with substantial morbidity and may require pediatric ICU (PICU) admission. The aim of the study was to determine risk factors for PICU admission.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used a retrospective multicenter case-control design. The  cases included children admitted to the PICU because of severe acute asthma and a history of out-patient treatment by pediatricians or pediatric pulmonologists. Controls were children with asthma without a PICU admission for severe acute asthma. The children were matched for sex, age, hospital,  and time elapsed since the diagnosis of asthma. Fourteen possible risk factors were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-six cases were matched to 164 controls. In univariate analysis, all but one of the analyzed variables were significantly associated with PICU-hospitalization. After multivariate conditional  logistic regression analysis, 4 risk factors remained significant. These included active or passive smoking, allergies, earlier hospitalization for asthma, and non-sanitized home.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians and parents should be aware of these risk factors, and efforts should be made to counteract  them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. g.vandenbosch@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Gerbrich E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: van den Bosch
authors.forename: Peter J F M
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Merkus
authors.forename: Corinne M P
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Buysse
authors.forename: Annemie L M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Boehmer
authors.forename: Anja A P H
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vaessen-Verberne
authors.forename: Leonieke N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: van Veen
authors.forename: Wim C J
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hop
authors.forename: Matthijs
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Hoog
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications*; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution