Abstract

IntroductionAlthough hospital admissions for pediatric asthma constitute a significant problem in high-income countries, they are an even greater health problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, previous studies that aimed to identify predictors of hospital admission for asthma in children have mainly been conducted in high-income countries, and these findings might not be applicable to LMIC. MethodsIn a prospective cohort study, we aimed to identify predictors of hospital admission for asthma, including measures of parental knowledge about asthma and maternal depression level, in a population of children aged 1-18 years living in urban Bogota, Colombia hospitalized for acute asthma symptoms, over a 6-month period. ResultsOut of the total of 101 included patients, 37 (36.6%) had at least one hospital admission for asthma during the year following admission. After controlling for the age of the patients, dog ownership in the previous 12 months, asthma severity variables in the previous 6 months, maternal allergic rhinitis, level of maternal education, and measures of parental knowledge about asthma and maternal depression level, we found that maternal smoking (IRR, 3.12; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.12-8.68; P=0.029) was the only independent predictor of hospital admissions due to asthma exacerbations in the year following admission to the study. ConclusionsIn a population of asthmatic Latino children admitted to hospital for an asthma exacerbation, approximately one-third of the patients had at least one hospital admission for asthma during the year following admission, and maternal smoking was the only independent predictor of these hospitalizations. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2014; 49:1058-1064. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.