Analysis of the Consumption of Drugs Prescribed for the Treatment of Asthma in Belgian Children

(1) Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world among children. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the consumption of asthma medications in order to investigate asthma in children (2–18 years) and the association with health care consumption; (2) a retrospective study using anonymized administrative data for 2013–2018 from the third largest Belgian health insurer was conducted; (3) in 2018, 12.9% of children received at least one asthma medication and 4.4% received at least two packages with a minimum of 30 days between purchases. Preschool children (2–6 years) were three times more likely to take asthma medication than older children (7–18 years). ICS, in combination or not with LABA, were the most dispensed drugs among children. Children with asthma medications were almost twice as likely to receive antibiotics, more likely to end up in the emergency room, and twice as likely to be hospitalized; (4) most children took ICS, according to the GINA guidelines. High rates of nebulization in young children were observed, despite the recommendation to use an inhaler with a spacing chamber as much as possible. Finally, children who took asthma medications were more likely to end up in the ER or be hospitalized.

Search for associations between polymorphic variants of human acid chitinase gene and bronchial asthma in children of Novosibirsk

High prevalence of bronchial asthma among the population (about 300 million people all over the world) provides rationale for the search for candidate genes of disease. Human acidic chitinase (CHIA (AMCase)), encoded by the CHIA gene, is involved in the degradation of chitin, a component of the fungal cell wall and arthropod exoskeleton, which, if present in food or house dust, is a provoking factor for the bronchial asthma (BA) development. Functionally significant mutations in the CHIA gene may apparently increase the risk of susceptibility to BA.Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs12033184 and rs3806448 in the CHIA gene with bronchial asthma in children in Novosibirsk.Material and Methods. The study was organized as case-control. A total of 537 blood samples were used. SNPs were determined by real-time PCR. The associations of polymorphic variants with the disease were assessed by the odds ratio.Results. No associations of rs12033184 and rs3806448 with BA were found.Conclusion. The role of acidic chitinase gene in the development of BA in residents of Novosibirsk was found to be less significant than in the Indian population where it was previously shown to be associated with the disease.

FEATURES OF CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND THE INFLUENCE OF RISK FACTORS ON THE OCCURRENCE OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IN CHILDREN OF LVIV REGION OF DIFFERENT AGES

Bronchial asthma (BA) is a common chronic pathology of the lower respiratory tract in children. The first manifestations of the disease can begin at any age, but the clinical features, of the course, are different in different periods of childhood. Manifestations and course of asthma may disappear or progress with age. Therefore, it is likely that there are differences in the pathophysiology, inflammatory response of the body and the features of the clinic of asthma in children of different ages, which affects the diagnosis and treatment. The aim of the study was to determine the features of clinical symptoms and the influence of risk factors for asthma on its occurrence in children of different ages. Materials and methods. We analyzed the anamnesis and clinical symptoms of 57 children aged 3 to 18 years, who were treated from September 2020 to June 2021 in the Lviv Regional Children's Clinical Hospital “OHMATDYT” and in the Lviv Municipal City Children's Clinical Hospital. The age groups did not differ statistically in the severity of asthma (P> 0.05). Thus, in group 1 was 1 patient (9.09%) with mild form, 1 patient (9.09%) - moderate persistent form, 8 patients (72.73%) - with severe persistent form. Among patients of age group 2 was 1 patient (3.85%) with mild persistent form, 3 children (11.54%) - moderate and 21 children (80.77%) - with severe persistent form. In group 3 was 1 patient (5%) with a mild persistent form, 6 patients (30%) - moderate and 12 children (80%) - with a severe persistent form. The vast majority of patients were boys (84.21 ± 4.83%). All patients underwent general clinical examinations, spirometry, and allergy tests. We used the clinical-anamnestic method to perform the tasks of the work, which consisted in collecting a detailed somatic and genealogical anamnesis during the parents` questionnaire. Physical development of children was assessed using centile tables. Statistics were evaluated by calculating Student's t-test and Pearson's consistency test. Preschool children with asthma were more likely to experience shortness of breath during exercise and a wet low-yielding cough, and children of primary and secondary school age were more characterized by concomitant allergic rhinitis. Autumn was more unfavorable period for the exacerbation of clinical manifestations of asthma in children of Lviv region was period. We did not find correlation of birth weight on the timing of asthma. However, a burdensome obstetric history contributed to the early development of clinical manifestations of asthma. Preschool children were more likely to be exposed to nicotine during the antenatal period and had a shorter duration of breastfeeding, which may be a probable risk factor for asthma in preschool children. In 77% of children from different age groups were burdened with a history of allergies, with 66% of cases more pronounced in the maternal line. An analysis of physical development revealed that most preschool children were overweight. Conclusions. Asthma has features of clinical symptoms in children of different ages - shortness of breath during exercise and whooping cough are characteristic of preschool children, and concomitant chronic persistent rhinitis - for older age groups. Seasonal exacerbations are characteristic of asthma in children; in particular, the autumn period is more unfavorable, common for asthmatics in children of all ages among patients in Lviv region. Maternal smoking during pregnancy has a significant effect on the risk of developing asthma in children. Also, a burdened maternal allergy history and overweight child contributes to the development of asthma in children.

Increased Risk of Hospital Admission for Asthma in Children From Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution: Case-Crossover Evidence From Northern China

Background: Previous studies suggested that exposure to air pollution could increase risk of asthma attacks in children. The aim of this study is to investigate the short-term effects of exposure to ambient air pollution on asthma hospital admissions in children in Beijing, a city with serious air pollution and high-quality medical care at the same time.Methods: We collected hospital admission data of asthma patients aged ≤ 18 years old from 56 hospitals from 2013 to 2016 in Beijing, China. Time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression were applied to explore the association between risk of asthma admission in children and the daily concentration of six air pollutants [particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), particulate matter ≤ 10 μm (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3)], adjusting for meteorological factors and other pollutants. Additionally, stratified analyses were performed by age, gender, and season.Results: In the single-pollutant models, higher levels of PM2.5, SO2, and NO2 were significantly associated with increased risk of hospital admission for asthma in children. The strongest effect was observed in NO2 at lag06 (RR = 1.25, 95%CI: 1.06-1.48), followed by SO2 at lag05 (RR = 1.17, 95%CI: 1.05–1.31). The robustness of effects of SO2 and NO2 were shown in two-pollutant models. Stratified analyses further indicated that pre-school children (aged ≤ 6 years) were more susceptible to SO2. The effects of SO2 were stronger in the cold season, while the effects of NO2 were stronger in the warm season. No significant sex-specific differences were observed.Conclusions: These results suggested that high levels of air pollution had an adverse effect on childhood asthma, even in a region with high-quality healthcare. Therefore, it will be significant to decrease hospital admissions for asthma in children by controlling air pollution emission and avoiding exposure to air pollution.