TY - JOUR
T1 - The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on asthma and pediatric emergency health-seeking behavior in the Bronx, an epicenter
AU - Levene, Rachel
AU - Fein, Daniel M.
AU - Silver, Ellen J.
AU - Joels, Joanna R.
AU - Khine, Hnin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Background: The Bronx has the highest prevalence of asthma in the United States (US), and was also an early COVID-19 epicenter, making it a unique study location. Worldwide reports describe significant declines in pediatric emergency department (PED) visits during COVID-19. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on all PED presentations, including asthma, at an early epicenter has not been studied beyond the pandemic peak and into the early phases of state re-opening. Objectives: To compare PED health-seeking behaviors and clinical characteristics during the 2020 pandemic and subsequent initial New York State (NYS) phased re-opening to the same period in 2019. Methods: Retrospective chart review of children <21 years utilizing the PED at a high-volume quaternary children's hospital in The Bronx, NY from March 15th 2020 – July 6th 2020 (pandemic cohort) and the same interval in 2019 (comparison cohort). Visits were assigned to pre-determined diagnostic categories. Demographic and clinical data were compared. Results: 19,981 visits were included. Visits declined by 66% during 2020. Proportions of asthma visits (2% vs. 7%, p < 0.0001) and minor medical problems (61% vs. 67%, p < 0.0001) had significant declines in the pandemic cohort, while major medical problems (13% vs. 8%, p < 0.0001), appendicitis (1% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.0001) and other surgical complaints (1% vs. 0.5%, p < 0.0001) had proportional increases in the pandemic cohort. No significant proportional changes were noted among psychosocial and trauma groups between the two cohorts. Conclusion: The pandemic cohort experienced a substantial decrease in PED volume, but an increase in acuity and admission rates, which was sustained through the NYS phase-II re-opening. Despite being located in an asthma hub, the incidence of asthma-related PED visits declined appreciably in the pandemic cohort. Future studies examining the effects of indoor allergens in isolation on pediatric asthma are warranted.
AB - Background: The Bronx has the highest prevalence of asthma in the United States (US), and was also an early COVID-19 epicenter, making it a unique study location. Worldwide reports describe significant declines in pediatric emergency department (PED) visits during COVID-19. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on all PED presentations, including asthma, at an early epicenter has not been studied beyond the pandemic peak and into the early phases of state re-opening. Objectives: To compare PED health-seeking behaviors and clinical characteristics during the 2020 pandemic and subsequent initial New York State (NYS) phased re-opening to the same period in 2019. Methods: Retrospective chart review of children <21 years utilizing the PED at a high-volume quaternary children's hospital in The Bronx, NY from March 15th 2020 – July 6th 2020 (pandemic cohort) and the same interval in 2019 (comparison cohort). Visits were assigned to pre-determined diagnostic categories. Demographic and clinical data were compared. Results: 19,981 visits were included. Visits declined by 66% during 2020. Proportions of asthma visits (2% vs. 7%, p < 0.0001) and minor medical problems (61% vs. 67%, p < 0.0001) had significant declines in the pandemic cohort, while major medical problems (13% vs. 8%, p < 0.0001), appendicitis (1% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.0001) and other surgical complaints (1% vs. 0.5%, p < 0.0001) had proportional increases in the pandemic cohort. No significant proportional changes were noted among psychosocial and trauma groups between the two cohorts. Conclusion: The pandemic cohort experienced a substantial decrease in PED volume, but an increase in acuity and admission rates, which was sustained through the NYS phase-II re-opening. Despite being located in an asthma hub, the incidence of asthma-related PED visits declined appreciably in the pandemic cohort. Future studies examining the effects of indoor allergens in isolation on pediatric asthma are warranted.
KW - Asthma
KW - COVID-19
KW - Epicenter
KW - Pediatric emergency medicine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100443533&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.01.072
DO - 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.01.072
M3 - Article
C2 - 33550101
AN - SCOPUS:85100443533
SN - 0735-6757
VL - 43
SP - 109
EP - 114
JO - American Journal of Emergency Medicine
JF - American Journal of Emergency Medicine
ER -