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COVID-19 lockdown dropped the rate of paediatric asthma admissions
  1. Uros Krivec1,
  2. Andreja Kofol Seliger2,
  3. Janja Tursic3
  1. 1 Department of Paediatric Pulmology, University Children’s Hospital Ljubljana, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  2. 2 National Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  3. 3 Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Uros Krivec, Department of Paediatric Pulmology, University Children's Hospital Ljubljana, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Klinicni center Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia; uros.krivec{at}kclj.si

https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2020-319522

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    During the first 5 weeks of the state’s lockdown for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), from 16 March to 20 April 2020, we observed a 71% to 78% decrease in paediatric asthma admissions compared with the same time periods in the last 3 years. Regarding common asthma attack triggers, there was a 51% to 68% decrease in admissions for acute respiratory tract infections. Airborne pollen concentrations were within seasonally expected limits. A 48% to 58% reduction in the air nitrogen dioxide (NO2) level was detected, but concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 µm (PM10) did not change substantially (table 1).

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    Table 1

    Descriptive data of asthma and respiratory tract infection admissions at Ljubljana Children’s Hospital, mean daily pollen count, and the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter with a …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors UK: provided and analysed the data, drafted, revised and approved the manuscript. AKS: provided and analysed the data, revised and approved the manuscript. JT: provided and analysed the data, revised and approved the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.