Open AccessLong-term risk of pneumothorax in asthmatic children
Author(s) -
ChienHeng Lin,
ChengLi Lin,
Wei-Che Lin,
Chang-Ching Wei
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1536-5964
pISSN - 0025-7974
DOI - 10.1097/md.0000000000023779
Subject(s) - medicine , asthma , pneumothorax , cohort , emergency department , incidence (geometry) , retrospective cohort study , cohort study , hazard ratio , pediatrics , confidence interval , surgery , physics , psychiatry , optics
Pneumothorax is a life-threatening complication during acute asthma attack. However, long-term risk of pneumothorax in asthmatic children remains unknown. In this retrospective cohort study, 333,657 children were defined as asthma cohort and a 1:1 matched non-asthma cohort were generated from 2000 to 2011. At the end of 2012, the incidence of pneumothorax in asthma and non-asthma cohorts and asthma to non-asthma hazard ratios (HRs) with confidence intervals (CIs) of pneumothorax were analyzed. The incidence of pneumothorax was 1.35-fold higher in the asthma cohort than that in the non-asthma cohort. The asthma to non-asthma HRs of pneumothorax were higher in children younger than 6 years (1.76, 95% CI: 1.21–2.57) and in girls (2.27; 95% CI: 1.23–4.16). The HRs of pneumothorax were higher in asthmatic children with more asthma-related out-patient clinic visits/per year (>5 visits; HR: 2.81; 95% CI: 1.79–4.42), more emergency department visits/per year (>4 visits; HR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.02–2.78), and longer hospitalization days due to asthma (>4 days; HR: 3.42; 95% CI: 1.52–6.94) ( P < .0001, the trend test). Asthmatic children had greater risk for pneumothorax, particularly in young children and in those with severe and uncontrolled asthma.