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.