Skip to main content
Log in

Corticosteroid therapy and need for hospital care in wheezing preschool children

  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Prescription
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

Objectives: To study the frequency of corticosteroid therapy and the use of inpatient care for preschool children with wheezing in two regions in Finland. Methods: The Finnish Social Insurance Institution database on refundable asthma medication indicated that 1.18% of children in Tampere and 2.37% in Turku used inhaled corticosteroids regularly. To clarify the difference, hospital records of 800 randomly chosen 0.5–6.9-year-old children who had been treated for wheezing in Tampere or Turku University Hospital during 1995–1996 were retrospectively analysed. Results: The incidences of wheezing-related emergency room (ER) index visits were 11.0 visits/year/1000 children both in Tampere and Turku. Oral corticosteroids were given to 2.5% versus 24.2% of children in ER and 10.6% versus 89.7% in hospital ward in Tampere and Turku, respectively. Hospitalisation rates were 44.8% in Tampere and 36.8% in Turku (95% confidence interval for the difference 1.2–14.8%). In both regions, children with prior inhaled corticosteroid therapy needed less inpatient care. Mean duration of hospitalisation was 3.4 days in Tampere and only 1.4 days in Turku. Recurrent visits in 6 months were more common in Tampere. Conclusions: There were marked regional differences in the management of preschool children with wheezing. On a population level, frequent use of corticosteroid therapy was associated with reduced hospital admissions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Accepted in revised form: 28 July 2000

Electronic Publication

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Csonka, P., Mertsola, J., Klaukka, T. et al. Corticosteroid therapy and need for hospital care in wheezing preschool children. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 56, 591–596 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280000199

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280000199

Navigation