Prevalencia y evolución temporal de síntomas de asma en España. Estudio Global Asthma Network (GAN)

Poor compliance with clinical practice guidelines in the management of asthma in primary care in the community of Madrid

INTRODUCTION

Asthma is a common chronic disease in the paediatric age group that requires close follow-up. Clinical practice guidelines offer evidence-based recommendations to achieve adequate control of the disease.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the management of childhood asthma in the primary care setting in the Community of Madrid, and the adherence of health care professionals to guideline recommendations. To analyse the association of asthma management with age, the socioeconomic level of the catchment population and the workload of primary care centres.

METHODS

retrospective longitudinal study in patients aged 6-14 years newly diagnosed with asthma in primary care centres of the Community of Madrid in 2021. We analysed sociodemographic and clinical variables and the compliance with recommendations at the time of diagnosis and over 1 year of follow-up. The source of data was the electronic health record database of the primary care system.

RESULTS

We found a proportion of compliance with the recommendations upon diagnosis of the disease of 5.84%, with differences associated to the socioeconomic level of the catchment population (P = .033), and the pressure of care (P = .006). The proportion of compliance with recommendations during follow-up was 12.73%, with differences based on age (P = .01), socioeconomic level (P = 0.006) and centre workloads (P = .002).

CONCLUSIONS

Compliance with the recommendations of the main childhood asthma management guidelines in the primary care setting was low in the Community of Madrid. Strategies need to be implemented to improve the management of this disease and the adherence of professionals to the protocols developed for this purpose.

Investigation of the presence of atopy in children visiting the paediatric cardiology department due to chest pain

BACKGROUND

The cases of chest pain in children are usually not of cardiac origin.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate asthma and other atopic diseases in children with chest pain not of cardiac origin.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Children aged 6-18 years who were seen for chest pain were included in the study. Haematologic parameters, pulmonary function tests, and skin prick tests were performed. Atopic diseases and environmental factors were investigated.

RESULTS

The non-cardiac chest pain group (Group 1) included 88 children (female: 53.4%) with a mean age of 11.9 ± 3.4 years; the control group (Group 2) included 29 children (female: 53.8%) with a mean age of 11.4±2 years (p > 0.05). A family history of atopy (22.7%) and skin prick test positivity (28.4%) was more common in Group 1 than Group 2 (p = 0.006 and p = 0.017, respectively). The rate of presence of all environmental factors except stove use and mould was significantly higher in Group 1 (54.5%) than Group 2 (3.4%) (p < 0.001). Asthma was diagnosed in 44.3% and allergic rhinitis in 9.1% of patients in Group 1. Idiopathic chest pain, musculoskeletal system disorders, gastroesophageal reflux, and pneumonia were identified in 23.9%, 11.4%, 8%, and 3.4% of patients in Group 1, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the most common cause of non-cardiac chest pain was asthma. The local prevalence of asthma is higher than normal, and this may have affected the results of this study. A detailed history and physical examination will accurately establish the cause of chest pain in most children.

Prevalence and time trends of symptoms of allergic rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis in Spanish children: Global Asthma Network (GAN) study

INTRODUCTION

The time trends of the prevalence of rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and nasal allergy previously described in the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) in 2002 are unknown; or if the geographical or age differences in Spain persist.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the prevalence of rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and nasal allergy in different Spanish geographical areas and compare them with those of the ISAAC.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of the prevalence of rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and nasal allergy, carried out in 2016-2019 on 19943 adolescents aged 13-14 years and 17215 schoolchildren aged 6-7 years from six Spanish areas (Cartagena, Bilbao, Cantabria, La Coruña, Pamplona, and Salamanca), through a questionnaire based on the Global Asthma Network (GAN) protocol.

RESULTS

The prevalences of recent rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis (last 12 months), and nasal allergy/hay fever were 35.1%, 17.6%, and 14.6% in the adolescents and 20%, 8.5%, and 8.9% in the schoolchildren, respectively, with rhinoconjunctivitis in adolescents varying from 20.9% in Bilbao to 13.4% in Cartagena; and in schoolchildren, from 9.8% in La Coruña to 6.4% in Pamplona. These prevalences of rhinoconjunctivitis and nasal allergy in adolescents were higher than those described in the ISAAC (16.3% and 13%) and similar in schoolchildren to the ISAAC (9% and 9.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

There has been a stabilisation of rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and nasal allergy in schoolchildren that slows the previous upward trend of ISAAC; and a slight non-significant increase in rhinoconjunctivitis and nasal allergy in adolescents. The variability found in adolescents would require local research to be better understood.

Trends in hospital admissions among children with asthma in Spain (2011-2020)

The purpose of this study is to describe and assess changes in incidence, clinical conditions, use of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay (LOHS), and in-hospital mortality (IHM) among children hospitalized with asthma in Spain from 2011 to 2020. We analyzed children aged 0 to 15 years hospitalized with an ICD code for asthma included in the Spanish National Hospital Discharge Database (SNHDD). The analysis was conducted for asthma as the primary diagnosis and with asthma in any diagnosis position. Joinpoint regression was used to assess time trends in incidence. We included a total of 85,664 children hospitalized with asthma; of these, 46,727 (54.55%) had asthma coded as the primary diagnosis. The number of boys was higher than the number of girls, irrespective of age group or diagnostic position. The frequency of asthma as primary diagnosis decreased from 55.7% in 2011 to 43.96% in 2020 (p < 0.001). The incidence of hospitalizations because of asthma decreased significantly from 2011 to 2020, with a faster decrease from 2018 onwards. Over time, the proportion of older children increased. In the year 2020, only 55 children had codes for asthma and COVID-19 in their discharge report, and this infection had no effect on hospitalizations this year. A significant increase in the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) was observed over time. Irrespective of the diagnostic position, LOHS and IHM remained stable over time, with the IHM under 0.1%.  Conclusion: Our results show a decrease in the incidence of hospital admissions with asthma either as the primary diagnosis or in any position. The age of children hospitalized seems to be increasing as the use of NIV. Better management of the disease from primary care and the emergency department as is the use of NIV could explain the reduction in incidence. What is Known: • Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory in childhood in high income countries. • The incidence of hospital admissions with asthma and associated factors is one of the best sources of information on morbidity trends and prognosis. What is New: • The incidence of hospital admissions for asthma in Spain decreased in children between 2011 and 2020 with a more frequent use of non-invasive mechanical ventilation and low mortality rates. • COVID-19 did not cause an increase in admissions with asthma in the year 2020.

Vaccination against influenza: Coverage and adherence in children under 15 years with high-risk medical conditions in the Community of Madrid

INTRODUCTION

Vaccination against influenza is indicated in children at risk of complications or severe disease. The objective of this study was to describe the percentage of children aged less than 15 years with risk conditions vaccinated against influenza in the Community of Madrid, and to analyze the factors associated with adherence to vaccination throughout 3 vaccination campaigns.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Population-based cross-sectional observational study of children aged 6 months to 14 years with conditions that indicated influenza vaccination at the beginning of the 2018-2019 campaign. Electronic population registers were used. We described the percentage of children vaccinated in 3 consecutive campaigns, and assessed the association of adherence to vaccination with demographic and socioeconomic variables and risk conditions using bivariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

The vaccination coverage was 15.6% in the 2018-2019 campaign. The adherence to vaccination was 65.9%. The variables associated with greater adherence were age greater than 2 years, especially in the 6-10 years group (aOR = 1.63; 95% CI, 1.43-1.85) and presenting more than one risk condition, especially 3 or more diseases (aOR = 1.80; 95% CI, 1.00-3.26). Diabetes mellitus was the disease associated most strongly with adherence (aOR = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.74-2.65). Adherence was lower in the immigrant population (aOR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.36-0.51). We found no association between vaccination adherence and sex or socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSIONS

Vaccination coverage and adherence were suboptimal. Adherence to vaccination against influenza is associated with demographic and clinical conditions. Strategies need to be established to increase vaccination in children, with greater involvement of professionals and education of parents.