Pediatr Pulmonol . The effects of COVID-19 outbreak on Pediatric Emergency Department admissions for acute wheezing

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Pediatr Pulmonol


. 2022 Feb 15.
doi: 10.1002/ppul.25858. Online ahead of print.
The effects of COVID-19 outbreak on Pediatric Emergency Department admissions for acute wheezing


Lorenzo Di Sarno ¹ , Antonietta Curatola ¹ , Giorgio Conti ² , Marcello Covino ³ , Chiara Bertolaso ⁴ , Antonio Chiaretti ¹ , Antonio Gatto ⁴



Affiliations

• PMID: 35170263
• DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25858

Abstract

Introduction: Acute wheezing is a common clinical presentation of viral respiratory infections in children, which can also be caused by exposure to allergens and, rarely, by foreign body inhalation. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak, several public health interventions have been adopted to reduce viral spread. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) admission for acute wheezing.
Materials and methods: We compared demographics and clinical data of patients admitted to the ED for acute wheezing during the COVID-19 outbreak and in the five previous years through a retrospective cross-sectional study.
Results: During the COVID-19 outbreak we observed an average drop of 83% in pediatric ED admission for acute wheezing, compared to the five previous years. In this period, 121 (80.7%) children presented with wheezing and 29 (19.3%) with bronchiolitis. The mean age of the sample was higher compared to the five previous years. We also noted an increased number of children presenting with higher acuity color codes during the COVID-19 period, while no differences emerged as for the hospitalizations. During the pandemic we recorded a decrease in the number of viral infections detected. Only two cases of wheezing associated with SARS-CoV-2 were identified.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak and the national lockdown led to a drop of the number of admission to the ED for wheezing in children. This could be due to a reduction in the circulation of common respiratory viruses and partially to a reduced exposure to aeroallergens during the COVID-19 period. Future epidemiological surveillance studies will be needed to support these prelimianry findings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Emergency Department; Outbreak; Wheezing..