Allergies up healthcare use by asthmatic children
Key points
- Children with both asthma and hay fever (allergic rhinitis) incur greater asthma drug costs and are hospitalized more often than similar children who have just asthma, according to a new report.
- Vasilisa Sazonov Kocevar, from Merck and Co., Inc. in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and colleagues analyzed data from 9522 asthmatic children in the UK to assess healthcare resource use.
- During the 12-month study period, the group with rhinitis had an average of 4.4 general practitioner (GP) visits and a hospitalization rate of 1.4 percent, the investigators report in the medical journal Pediatrics.
- In addition, rhinitis was linked to an increase in asthma drug costs, regardless of asthma severity.
Children with both asthma and hay fever (allergic rhinitis) incur greater asthma drug costs and are hospitalized more often than similar children who have just asthma, according to a new report.
Dr. Vasilisa Sazonov Kocevar, from Merck and Co., Inc. in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and colleagues analyzed data from 9522 asthmatic children in the UK to assess healthcare resource use. Of these subjects, 1879 had allergic rhinitis.
During the 12-month study period, the group with rhinitis had an average of 4.4 general practitioner (GP) visits and a hospitalization rate of 1.4 percent, the investigators report in the medical journal Pediatrics. The asthma-only group averaged 3.4 doctor visits with a 0.5 percent hospitalization rate.
In addition, rhinitis was linked to an increase in asthma drug costs, regardless of asthma severity.
"These results are consistent with those of two US studies," Kocevar's team notes.
The researchers conclude that the "coexistence of asthma and allergic rhinitis identifies a high-risk group of children that should be targeted for care."
SOURCE: Pediatrics, January 2005.
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Lungs, Asthma & Allergies →NewsResearchers discover promising targets for treating allergies and asthma
Researchers in the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden and Canada report in Nature that they have discovered more than 30 genes that have strong effects on Immunoglobulin E (IgE), allergies and asthma. IgE is the…
19 February 2015
NewsAdverse drug reactions in children following use of asthma medications
In a new study based on EU adverse drug reaction reports, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark now document that children's use of asthma medications may result in serious…
28 October 2014
NewsNew Inhaled Drug Shows Promise Against Allergies, Asthma
A new inhaled medication has the potential to treat mild asthma and allergies by interrupting the production of an immune system protein that triggers allergic reactions, a new study reports. The drug, quilizumab,…
