1 | INTRODUCTION
Asthma is a pathology with global prevalence that has been increasing in
the last three decades in all regions of the world and all ages,
although with some geographical disparities.1, 2Currently, almost 300 million people are affected according to the
WHO.3, 4 It is the most common chronic pathology in
children, and in Mexico, its prevalence is currently estimated at around
6.8-19.7%.5, 6 Half of asthma hospitalizations are of
concern in the pediatric population.6-8
Therefore, asthma is a major public health problem in pediatrics due to
its prevalence, emergency care rate, high-cost hospitalizations, and
high rates of induced school absenteeism.9-11 In
addition, the excessive use of healthcare services and the morbidity of
asthma could be partially avoided. They are explained by a lack of
initial crisis support, poor control of the disease, deficits in
education and risk identification, and the importance of obesity in
other asthma subtypes.3, 8, 12-14
Several studies conducted in emergency departments have made it possible
to specify the characteristics of the hospitalized pediatric population
for asthma exacerbation.15-17 The authors have
highlighted the need to improve therapeutic education in these children
but have not been able to study the population of consultants in
non-emergency departments. Therefore, we did a multicentric transversal
study to identify characteristics of children who were treated in
pediatric emergency rooms for asthma exacerbation. The secondary
objective was to evaluate their pre-hospital management to determine
what improvements could be put in place to reduce the need for emergency
care.