Asthma management among children at the primary health care

Background. Asthma is a common chronic respiratory illness among children, often leading to emergency care visits. Aims. This study aimed to evaluates the association between age, education level, and recurrent visits among child asthma patients treated in the Emergency Unit of Regional Primary Health Care. Methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted using secondary data from medical records of 121 pediatric asthma patients treated between February and December 2024. Patients with comorbid respiratory diseases were excluded. The variables analyzed included socioeconomic characteristics, clinical symptoms, allergy history, use of control medication, treatment outcomes, blood parameters, and types of therapy administered. Results. Of the 121 child asthma patients, 101 (82.8%) had initial visits and 20 (16.4%) had recurrent visits. Initial visits were more frequent among children aged 0-9 years, while recurrent visits were more common in the 10-17-year age group. Differences in education levels were noted, but no significant associations were found between gender or payment methods and visit frequency. Significant differences were observed in clinical symptoms and allergy history: all patients with initial visit reported three or fewer symptoms, whereas 54.1% of those with recurrent visits had more than three symptoms (p < 0.001). None of the patients with initial visits reported a history of allergy, while 25.6% of those with recurrent visits did or had missing responses (p < 0.001). Leukocyte counts were significantly higher in initial-visit patients (14,666.8 ± 1,569/mm³) than in recurrent-visit patients (11,610 ± 1,002/mm³; p = 0.012). No significant differences were observed in hemoglobin, hematocrit, or thrombocyte counts (p > 0.05). Treatment modalities, including oxygen therapy and corticosteroids, were comparable between groups, indicating consistent clinical management. Conclusion. Age and education level are significantly associated with recurrent emergency visits in children with asthma. While differences in symptoms, allergy history, and leukocyte levels were observed, treatment approaches remained consistent across groups.