Risks of poor asthma outcomes in 14,405 children and young people in London

Primary care respiratory medicine

2021

This is a 12-month retrospective data analysis (2018/19) of asthma risk factors in 350 North West London general practices. Fourteen thousand four hundred and five of the 482,029 (40% female) children and young people (CYP) had diagnosed asthma. Exacerbations are as follows: (i) 749 (5%) CYP had 797 hospital admissions; 32 (<1%) had 2–6; (ii) 910 (6%) had 1168 recorded asthma attacks; 170 (1%) had 2–12; (iii) 1485 (10%) had 2123 oral corticosteroid courses; 408 (3%) had 2–11. Excess short-acting bronchodilators were prescribed in over half of the CYP. Of the 10,077 (70%) CYP prescribed inhaled corticosteroid preventers, 7279 (72%) were issued with <4 ICS inhaler prescriptions during the year; these CYP accounted for 11% of the admission spells.

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