Reasons for recurrent visits of emergency department by pediatric asthmatic patients in Al-Qassim Region

Bronchial asthma has been the subject of controversy for several decades. The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) describes asthma as "a heterogeneous disease, usually characterized by chronic airway inflammation. It is defined by the history of respiratory symptoms such as wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough that vary over time and in intensity, together with variable expiratory airflow limitation." Although not strictly a definition, this description captures the essential features for clinical purposes. Bronchial asthma is defined as a chronic lung disease characterized by airway obstruction, inflammation and hyper-responsiveness that leads to symptoms like wheezing, coughing, chest tightening and shortness of breath especially at night or in the morning. It is one of the most common medical emergency conditions in the pediatrics all over the world. The primary care provider is the cornerstone of this study; his/her awareness about reasons of recurrent visits of emergency department by pediatric asthmatic patients would help to reduce the frequency of ED visits, which lead to minimizing the load on hospitals by addressing patient's concerns, correcting some misconceptions, and improving the patients' and their parents' knowledge and awareness.