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Sarikloglou E, Fouzas S, Paraskakis E. Prediction of Asthma Exacerbations in Children. J Pers Med 2023; 14:20. [PMID: 38248721 PMCID: PMC10820562 DOI: 10.3390/jpm14010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Asthma exacerbations are common in asthmatic children, even among those with good disease control. Asthma attacks result in the children and their parents missing school and work days; limit the patient's social and physical activities; and lead to emergency department visits, hospital admissions, or even fatal events. Thus, the prompt identification of asthmatic children at risk for exacerbation is crucial, as it may allow for proactive measures that could prevent these episodes. Children prone to asthma exacerbation are a heterogeneous group; various demographic factors such as younger age, ethnic group, low family income, clinical parameters (history of an exacerbation in the past 12 months, poor asthma control, poor adherence to treatment, comorbidities), Th2 inflammation, and environmental exposures (pollutants, stress, viral and bacterial pathogens) determine the risk of a future exacerbation and should be carefully considered. This paper aims to review the existing evidence regarding the predictors of asthma exacerbations in children and offer practical monitoring guidance for promptly recognizing patients at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sotirios Fouzas
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Patras Medical School, 26504 Patras, Greece;
| | - Emmanouil Paraskakis
- Paediatric Respiratory Unit, Paediatric Department, University of Crete, 71500 Heraklion, Greece
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Kouis P, Lemonaris M, Xenophontos E, Panayiotou A, Yiallouros PK. The impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on symptoms control in children with asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies. Pediatr Pulmonol 2023; 58:3213-3226. [PMID: 37606188 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.26646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Reported reductions in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for asthma in previous studies have suggested a beneficial effect of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown measures on asthma morbidity. Nevertheless, studies relying on administrative data may overestimate the true impact of lockdowns due to changes in health-seeking behavior and reduced availability of pediatric asthma services during the pandemic. In this study, we systematically reviewed the literature and identified observational cohort studies that focused on nonadministrative data to assess the true impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on symptom control in children with asthma. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted between January 2020 and August 2022 (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews ID: CRD42022354369). The impact of COVID-19 lockdowns across studies was expressed as a standardized mean difference (SMD) for continuous outcomes and as a summary relative risk (RR) for binary outcomes. RESULTS During the lockdown periods, the pooled asthma symptoms control test score (SMD: 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75, 3.24, I2 : 98.4%) and the proportion of children with well-controlled asthma (RR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.71, I2 : 77.6%) were significantly increased. On the other hand, the pooled proportion of children with poorly controlled asthma (RR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.57, I2 : 0.0%) was significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS During COVID-19 lockdowns, asthma symptoms and breakthrough disease exacerbations were significantly reduced in children with asthma. Further research is warranted on potential interventions aiming to enhance asthma control after the pandemic while taking into consideration their acceptability and potential tradeoffs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayiotis Kouis
- Respiratory Physiology Laboratory, Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Marios Lemonaris
- Respiratory Physiology Laboratory, Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Medical School, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Eleana Xenophontos
- Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Andrie Panayiotou
- Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
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Hazan G, Fox C, Mok H, Haspel J. Age-dependent rebound in asthma exacerbations after COVID-19 lockdown. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. GLOBAL 2022; 1:314-318. [PMID: 36377231 PMCID: PMC9364738 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacig.2022.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Background Virus mitigation measures enacted early in the coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic suppressed common respiratory viruses and reduced the number of obstructive lung disease exacerbations. However, many localities began to ease these precautions in the year 2021, leading to a resurgence of non-COVID viruses. How asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) activity responded to this upswing in viral abundance is unclear. Objective Our aim was to examine how viral resurgence during the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions affected asthma and COPD exacerbations. Methods We analyzed electronic medical records for emergency department (ED) respiratory virus positivity, asthma visits, and COPD visits. We compared the 52-week interval before the COVID-19 restrictions (the pre-lockdown period [March 22, 2019-March 19, 2020]), the 52-week period immediately following enactment of the restrictions (the lockdown period [March 20, 2020-March 18, 2021]), and the 52-week period thereafter (the post-lockdown period [March 19, 2021-March 18, 2022]). We used MetaCYCLE to analyze seasonal trends in our data. Results The post-lockdown period was marked by a 400% increase in viral positivity compared with during the lockdown period. Asthma- and COPD-related ED visits each rose 37% compared with during the lockdown, with the rebound in asthma ED visits concentrated in individuals younger than 20 years. Interestingly, after the lockdown period, asthma ED visits overcorrected in children younger than 5 years, rising 81% compared with before the lockdown. Seasonal rhythms in asthma and COPD exacerbations were suppressed during the lockdown and recovered after the lockdown. Conclusions COVID-19 precautions had the unexpected effect of magnifying early-childhood asthma activity once common respiratory viruses recurred. These results may have implications for the future use of virus mitigation strategies in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Hazan
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo
- Division of Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo
| | - Carolyn Fox
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo
| | - Huram Mok
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo
| | - Jeffrey Haspel
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo
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Munblit D, Greenhawt M, Brough HA, Pushkareva A, Karimova D, Demidova A, Warner JO, Kalayci O, Sediva A, Untersmayr E, Rodriguez Del Rio P, Vazquez-Ortiz M, Arasi S, Alvaro-Lozano M, Tsabouri S, Galli E, Beken B, Eigenmann PA. Allergic diseases and immunodeficiencies in children, lessons learnt from COVID-19 pandemic by 2022: A statement from the EAACI-section on pediatrics. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2022; 33:e13851. [PMID: 36282136 PMCID: PMC9538373 DOI: 10.1111/pai.13851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
By the April 12, 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in over half a billion people being infected worldwide. There have been 6.1 million deaths directly due to the infection, but the pandemic has had many more short- and long-term pervasive effects on the physical and mental health of the population. Allergic diseases are among the most prevalent noncommunicable chronic diseases in the pediatric population, and health-care professionals and researchers were seeking answers since the beginning of pandemic. Children are at lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 or dying from infection. Allergic diseases are not associated with a higher COVID-19 severity and mortality, apart from severe/poorly controlled asthma. The pandemic disrupted routine health care, but many mitigation strategies, including but not limited to telemedicine, were successfully implemented to continue delivery of high-standard care. Although children faced a multitude of pandemic-related issues, allergic conditions were effectively treated remotely while reduction in air pollution and lack of contact with outdoor allergens resulted in improvement, particularly respiratory allergies. There is no evidence to recommend substantial changes to usual management modalities of allergic conditions in children, including allergen immunotherapy and use of biologicals. Allergic children are not at greater risk of multisystem inflammatory syndrome development, but some associations with Long COVID were reported, although the data are limited, and further research is needed. This statement of the EAACI Section on Pediatrics provides recommendations based on the lessons learnt from the pandemic, as available evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Munblit
- Inflammation, Repair and Development Section, Faculty of Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew Greenhawt
- Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Helen A Brough
- Children's Allergy Service, Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
- Paediatric Allergy Group, Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Anna Pushkareva
- European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Diana Karimova
- European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anastasia Demidova
- European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - John O Warner
- Inflammation, Repair and Development Section, Faculty of Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Omer Kalayci
- Pediatric Allergy and Asthma, School of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Anna Sediva
- Department of Immunology, 2nd Medical Faculty, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Untersmayr
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Marta Vazquez-Ortiz
- Inflammation, Repair and Development Section, Faculty of Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Stefania Arasi
- Translational Research in Pediatric Specialities Area, Division of Allergy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Montserrat Alvaro-Lozano
- Allergology and Clinical Immunology Department, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sophia Tsabouri
- Child Health Department, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Elena Galli
- Pediatric Allergology Unit, Department of Pediatric Medicine, S.Pietro Hospital Fatebenefratelli, Rome, Italy
| | - Burcin Beken
- Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Acibadem University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Philippe A Eigenmann
- Pediatric Allergy Unit, Department of Woman, Child and Adolescent, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Hazan G, Fox C, Eiden E, Anderson N, Friger M, Haspel J. Effect of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Asthma Biological Rhythms. J Biol Rhythms 2022; 37:152-163. [PMID: 35319293 DOI: 10.1177/07487304221081730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Asthma has a striking temporal character, in which time-of-day, patient age, and season each influence disease activity. The extent to which rhythms in asthma activity reflect exposure to specific disease triggers remains unclear. In this study, we examined how virus mitigation strategies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic ("lockdown measures") affected rhythms in asthma clinical activity in children. To this end, we retrospectively analyzed asthma clinical presentations in children aged <18 years to our regional academic medical center, comparing 4 years of medical records prior to COVID-19 lockdown measures with the 12 months immediately after the institution of such measures. We correlated these data to positive viral test results, febrile seizures, and allergic clinical surrogates (allergic reaction visits and Emergency Department [ED] antihistamine prescriptions, respectively) over the same time frame. In the 12 months following the institution of the COVID-19 lockdown, positivity rates for common respiratory viruses dropped by 70.2% and ED visits for asthma among children dropped by 62% compared to pre-COVID years. Lockdown suppressed seasonal variation in positive viral tests and asthma ED visits, while diurnal rhythms in asthma visits were unchanged. Asthma seasonality correlated most strongly with rhinovirus positivity both before and after the institution of COVID lockdown measures. Altogether, our data support a causal role for viruses in driving seasonal variability in asthma exacerbations in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Hazan
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Division of Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Carolyn Fox
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Elise Eiden
- Institute for Informatics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Neil Anderson
- Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael Friger
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Jeffrey Haspel
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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