Health service use among children with and without eczema, asthma, and hay fever.
BACKGROUND
Atopic diseases, for example, eczema, asthma, and hay fever, are among the most common chronic diseases of childhood. Knowledge on health service use among children with atopic disease is limited. This study aimed to investigate the total use and costs of health services for children with and without eczema, asthma, and hay fever in a Danish general population.


METHODS
We conducted a health survey with four complete birth cohorts from the City of Copenhagen. Individual questionnaire data on eczema, asthma, and hay fever for children aged 3, 6, 11, and 15 years were linked to register information on use and costs of health services and prescribed medication and parental education. In total 9,720 children participated (50.5%).


RESULTS
We found increased health service use (number of additional consultations per year [95% confidence interval]) among children with current eczema symptoms (1.77 [1.29-2.26]), current asthma symptoms (2.53 [2.08-2.98]), and current hay fever symptoms (1.21 [0.74-1.67]), compared with children without these symptoms. We also found increased use of prescribed medication and most subtypes of health services. Current asthma symptoms and current eczema symptoms, but not current hay fever symptoms, increased the health service costs with at least €300 per year per child.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with eczema, asthma, and hay fever used health services and prescribed medication more than children without these diseases.
Research Center for Prevention and Health, The Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen; Department of Real World Evidence and Epidemiology, H. Lundbeck A/S, Valby.
Lene
L
Hammer-Helmich
Research Center for Prevention and Health, The Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen; Department of Clinical Experimental Research, Rigshospitalet; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.
Allan
A
Linneberg
Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen.
Simon Francis
SF
Thomsen
Research Center for Prevention and Health, The Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen.
Line
L
Tang
Research Center for Prevention and Health, The Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen; Department of Health Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Charlotte
C
Glümer
asthma; atopic dermatitis; costs; hay fever; health services
Scand J Public Health. 2011 Jul;39(7 Suppl):34-7
21775348
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1982 Nov;70(5):367-72
7130552
J Asthma. 2014 Apr;51(3):260-6
24320709
Scand J Public Health. 2011 Jul;39(7 Suppl):22-5
21775345
Dermatology. 2014;228(4):344-9
24662194
J Asthma. 2009 May;46(4):392-8
19484676
Prev Med. 2013 Aug;57(2):125-8
23701846
Respir Med. 2006 Feb;100(2):354-62
16005621
Chronic Dis Can. 2009;29(2):49-55
19281690
Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2013 Jul;22(7):744-51
23559540
Scand J Public Health. 2011 Jul;39(7 Suppl):12-6
21898916
Scand J Public Health. 2011 Jul;39(7 Suppl):206-9
21775385
Br J Dermatol. 1994 Sep;131(3):406-16
7918017
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2004 Apr;15(2):166-71
15059195
Eur Respir J. 1995 Mar;8(3):483-91
7789502
Scand J Public Health. 2014 Mar;42(2):120-7
24089102
J Pediatr Health Care. 2014 Jan-Feb;28(1):71-9
23312366
BMC Health Serv Res. 2008 Jun 12;8:130
18549494