Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting more than 4 million
children in the United States. 2 Since the 1970s, the incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and
mortality of asthma have been increasing. 1, 26, 37, 60 This increase is disproportionally
higher for children living in urban and low-income environments. 10, 49, 60 The increase of
morbidity is reflected in days lost from school, worsening quality of life, increased
hospitalization rates, increased intensive care admissions, and increased emergency …

Background. Asthma exacerbations are a common reason for Emergency Department (ED)
visits in children. Aim. To analyze differences among age groups in terms of triggering
factors and seasonality and to identify those with higher risk of severe exacerbations.
Methods. We retrospectively revised the files of children admitted for acute asthma in 2016
in our Pediatric ED. Results. Visits for acute asthma were 603/23197 (2.6%). 76% of the
patients were< 6 years old and 24%≥ 6. Infections were the main trigger of exacerbations in …