查看文章

Little is known about the effect of age on acute asthma outcomes.

We sought to investigate age-related differences in the emergency department (ED) presentation and clinical outcomes for patients with acute asthma.

We analyzed the 2006-2008 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, the largest, all-payer, US ED and inpatient database. ED visits for acute asthma were identified with a principal diagnosis of International Classification of Disease, ninth revision, Clinical Modification code 493.xx. Patients were divided into 3 age groups: children (<18 years), younger adults (18-54 years), and older adults (≥55 years). The outcome measures were in-hospital all-cause mortality, near-fatal asthma-related events (noninvasive or mechanical ventilation), hospital charges, admission rates, and hospital length of stay.

There were an estimated 1,813,000 visits …