WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

*Dr. Yasir Abdulelah Mahmood

ABSTRACT

Background: Recurrent wheezing episodes leading to emergency room visits in children, and potentially progressing to asthma. Identifying and addressing these factors may have a key role for management of such episodes. Additionally; lowering of overall healthcare costs. Objectives: To determine the factors which increase emergency room admission rate among children with wheezy chest. Patients and methods: This study is a cross-sectional study, include 200 children with recurrent wheezing form the period of October 2023 to March 2025. The study conducted in Al Salam Teaching Hospital (Nineveh-Iraq). The study included patients were 6 months to 5 years old and excluded patients with chronic pulmonary disease, cerebral palsy and nasogastric tube feeding, under six months of age and those with first-time admission. The questionnaire consisted of three parts; part one for sociodemographic factors, part two for past medical factors, part current factors. Results: Two hundred children were studied; the mean age of the study patients is 2.77 ± 1.78 years. Of them; 41 (20.5%) patients had more than or equal to 3 times emergency room admission while the rest 159 (79.5%) patients had less than 3 times. Statistically significant difference between patients with less three times emergency room admission and those with more than or equal to three times hospital admission regarding; history of ICU admission (P value <0.001), history of GERD (P value <0.001), history of smoking exposure (P value <0.001), and regarding positive x-ray findings (P value <0.001). While no statistically significant finding regarding age, gender, residency, home condition, prematurity, history of exclusive breast feeding for 6 months, history of anemia, history of atopy, inhaler use, and heart disease (P value more than 0.05) for them. Conclusion: The average age range for recurrent wheezing in children is one to three years old; the majority of them are males and live in urban areas; most children with recurrent wheezy chest have been hospitalized less than three times; and most babies with recurrent emergency room admissions due to recurrent wheezing attacks have a history of ICU admission, GERD, and a high exposure to smoking. Patients with current chest x-ray findings of hyperinflated chest, pneumonia or both were more likely to have a history of previous emergency room admission.