Initial oxygen saturation values can predict the need to hospitalise children with mild wheezing.

AIM: Mild wheezing during respiratory infections is a common cause of paediatric hospital admissions. This study aimed to identify factors predicting this condition in children over six months of age. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 539 children, aged 6 months to 16 years, who visited the emergency department because of wheezing during respiratory infection. Mild disease was defined as hospital stays of less than 48 h and severe disease was staying at least 48 h or being treated in intensive care. Patients with an initial oxygen saturation value (SaO2 ) below 90% were analysed separately. RESULTS: Most (87%) of the 539 patients had mild disease, 6% had a severe disease and 7% had an initial SaO2 below 90%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the initial SaO2 predicting mild disease was 0.75 (95% CI 0.53-0.97), and the optimal cut-off value was 93%. An initial SaO2 >93% had a negative predictive value of 93%. Although 270 patients (50%) were hospitalised, only 140 (26%) would have been admitted using an optimal cut-off of SaO2 ≤93%. CONCLUSION: An initial SaO2 >93% reflects a mild course of acute wheezing and using this cut-off point could have almost halved hospital admissions.

Infants under 6 months with bronchiolitis are most likely to need major medical interventions in the 5 days after onset.

AIM: This study examined the need for, and timing of, major medical interventions (MMIs) in infants under 6 months of age with bronchiolitis. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 353 children who visited our emergency department with bronchiolitis. MMI was defined as the need for any of the following interventions during admission: supplementary oxygen, intravenous fluids, intravenous antibiotics or admission to the intensive care unit. RESULTS: Altogether 19% of the 353 patients required a MMI and 3% had apnoea. The patients with apnoea were all under 2 months of age, and 90% had a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and 40% had been born prematurely. The risk of needing a MMI continued for up to 5 days after disease onset. A positive RSV test predicted a MMI with an odds ratio (OR) of 11.5 (95% CI 2.6-50.5), and a fever of over 38°C predicted a MMI with an OR of 3.5 (95% CI 1.4-8.8). Each 1% increase in the initial oxygen saturation value was associated with a decreased risk of MMI (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.8). CONCLUSION: Infants under 6 months of age with bronchiolitis were most likely to need MMIs in the first 5 days after disease onset.

Acute poisoning in children under the age of six: a two-decade study of hospital admissions and trends.

AIM: To evaluate the incidence, clinical features and outcome of acute poisoning in children of less than 6 years of age in northern Finland. METHODS: Children hospitalized with acute poisoning at the Oulu University Hospital between 1991 and 2010 were retrospectively evaluated from hospital records. RESULTS: There were 334 hospital admissions due to acute poisoning during the study period, with an overall incidence rate of 5.2 per 10 000 per year, decreasing slightly from 6.7 in 1991-1995 to 4.5 in 2006-2010. Mean length of a hospital stay was 1.2 (SD ± 1.26) days. The most common substances ingested were terbutaline (12.3%), benzodiazepines (12.0%) and dishwasher powder (9.3%). Almost half of the patients were admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit, but most only required supportive care. Specific antidotes were administered in 16 cases. Three patients suffered from aspiration pneumonia as a result of ingesting poison, but no children died during the study. CONCLUSION: Poisoning is a fairly common cause of hospital admission in children under the age of six. In most cases, their clinical condition is good, and they can be discharged after a short surveillance period.

Serum concentrations of interferon-gamma and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 eight years after an early respiratory syncytial virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may influence the development of recurrent wheezing and atopy, but the mechanisms are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to evaluate serum concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), CD14, IgE, IL-5 and IFN-gamma in children 6-10 years after an RSV infection and their correlation with subsequent asthma and atopy. METHODS: Fifty-one subjects admitted to hospital for RSV infection during the first year of life and controls matched for birth date and sex underwent clinical examinations including lung function, skin prick and blood tests. RESULTS: The RSV subjects had significantly higher serum concentrations of IFN-gamma and sICAM-1 than the controls (for IFN-gamma 224.9 pg/mL (standard deviation (SD) 271.3) vs. 187.1 pg/mL (372.9), difference 37.8 pg/mL, 95% confidence interval (CI) -90.3 to 166.0, P = 0.05; for sICAM-1 170.2 ng/mL (SD 63) vs. 147.8 ng/mL (SD 57), difference 22.4 ng/mL, 95% CI -1.4 to 46.1, P = 0.04). The RSV subjects with asthma had significantly higher concentrations of IFN-gamma than the controls with asthma, and the RSV subjects with wheezing during the previous 12 months had significantly higher concentrations of both IFN-gamma and sICAM-1 than the controls with wheezing. CONCLUSIONS: Children hospitalized for RSV infection in infancy still differ in IFN-gamma and sICAM-1 production 6-10 years after the infection. The data suggest that the pathomechanism of asthma and wheezing after an early RSV infection may be different from that of children without an early RSV infection.

Do inhaled steroids differ from cromones in terms of hospital admission rates for asthma in children?

AIM: 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. CONCLUSION: 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.

Association of an early respiratory syncytial virus infection and atopic allergy.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes postbronchiolitic wheezing but its role in allergic sensitization is controversial. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of an early RSV infection on allergic sensitization. METHODS: Seventy-six subjects were examined 6-10 years after hospitalization for RSV infection during the first year of life. Fifty-one subjects (68%) attended clinical studies and 25 filled in a questionnaire. The study protocol included lung function, skin-prick and blood tests. The controls were matched for birth date and sex. RESULTS: Eight per cent of the subjects and 37% of the controls had at least one positive skin-prick test (SPT) (difference -35%, 95% CI -50 to -19%, P < 0.0001). Allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and asthma occurred as often in both groups, but asthma had been diagnosed significantly earlier in the subjects than in the controls [mean age 3.0 years (SD 2.6) and 5.6 years (SD 3.0), difference 2.6 years, 95% CI 0.57-4.65, P = 0.014]. In a logistic regression analysis, RSV infection was associated with negative SPTs. CONCLUSIONS: An early RSV infection results in reduction of SPT positivity but not of occurrence of atopic diseases. This finding might explain why there is less atopic sensitization in countries with a greater probability of acquiring RSV infection at an early age.

Mechanical ventilation in children with severe asthma.

Hospital admissions for childhood asthma have increased during the past few decades. The aim of this study was to describe the need for mechanical ventilation for severe asthma exacerbation in children in Finland from 1976 to 1995. We reviewed medical records and collected data retrospectively from all 5 university hospitals in Finland, thus covering the entire population of about 5 million. The endpoints selected were the number of admissions and readmissions leading to mechanical ventilation, duration of stay in the hospital, and mortality. Moreover, asthma medications prescribed prior to admission and administered in the intensive care unit (ICU), as well as the etiology of the exacerbation associated with mechanical ventilation were examined. Mechanical ventilation was required in 66 ICU admissions (59 patients). This constituted approximately 10% of all 632 admissions for acute asthma to an ICU. The number of admissions decreased from 1976 to 1995: 41 admissions between 1976 and 1985 vs. 25 admissions during the next 10-year period. The mean age at admission to the ICU was 3.6 years, and 46% of the patients were boys. Prior to the index admission, 70% of the patients had used asthma medication such as oral bronchodilator (50%), inhaled bronchodilator (20%), theophylline (38%), inhaled glucocorticoid (18%), oral glucocorticoid (5%), and cromoglycate (7%). Respiratory infection was by far the most common cause of all the exacerbations (61%), followed by food allergy (8%) and gastroesophageal reflux (3%). In 28% of cases the cause of the severe asthma exacerbation could not be identified. In the mechanically ventilated patients readmissions occurred 38 times between 1976 and 1985 vs. 5 times between 1986 and 1995. Five of the patients who received mechanical ventilation died, and in 3 of these patients asthma was the event causing death. In conclusion, there has been decrease in the number of first and repeat ICU admission for asthma requiring mechanical ventilation between 1970 and 1995. This trend occurred despite a simultaneous 5% yearly increase in hospital admissions for childhood asthma during these 2 decades.

Diet, serum fatty acids, and atopic diseases in childhood.

BACKGROUND: The reasons behind the reported increase in the occurrence of childhood atopic sensitization rates are unclear. We wanted to evaluate the association between dietary fats, serum fatty acids, and the occurrence and development of atopic diseases. METHODS: From a longitudinal database of a population-based sample, 231 sex- and age-matched pairs in 1980 and 154 pairs in 1986 were chosen, between whom we compared the dietary data, serum fatty acid composition, and occurrence of atopic diseases. The same variables were also compared between those who developed atopic disease later and those who did not during the 9-year follow-up. RESULTS: Examination of the dietary data in 1980 for those who had developed atopic disease compared with those who had remained healthy showed that the atopic children had used less butter before the expression of atopy. According to the cross-sectional data, the children with atopic disease consumed more margarine (mean 8.6 vs 7.3 [P = 0.04]), and less butter (mean 9.4 vs 11.6 g/1000 kcal [P = 0.002]), than the nonatopic children in 1980. Differences supporting these dietary findings were similarly found in the serum fatty acid data. CONCLUSION: The diet of the atopic children differed from that of the nonatopic children in the consumption of polyunsaturated fat.

Acute childhood asthma in Finland: a retrospective review of hospital admissions from 1976 to 1995.

The prevalence of childhood asthma has increased markedly in many Western societies during recent decades. We wanted to study whether the incidence and severity of childhood asthma in Finland had changed during the time-period 1976-95. Hospital admission rates from 1976 to 1995 were obtained from the National Hospital Discharge Register and the individual intensive care unit (ICU) registers of the five university hospitals in Finland. The number and length of treatment periods for childhood asthma in all Finnish hospitals and at the ICUs of the five university hospitals were analyzed. The number of children receiving special reimbursement for asthma medication costs was obtained from the central register of the Social Insurance Institution. The data showed that during the time-period investigated, hospital admissions as a result of asthma had increased by 2.8-fold, but the mean length of hospital stay had more than halved (from 7.3 to 2.6 days). The increase in hospital admissions showed greatest significance in the 0-4-year age-group among both sexes (p <0.001). In contrast, a significant reduction in hospital admissions was found among the 10-14-year age-group (p <0.001). No discernible change in admission to ICUs was seen. During the same time-period, the number of children receiving special reimbursement for asthma medication costs increased 7.5-fold. Hence, a major increase has occurred in the number of children diagnosed with asthma that has not been paralleled by a proportionate increase in the number of hospital admissions. While the prevalence of mild and moderate asthma has increased, the occurrence of severe asthma has remained essentially unchanged.