Socioeconomic status and emergency department visits in adults with a history of severe childhood asthma: a register-based study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Our knowledge of socioeconomic status (SES) and emergency department (ED) visits in adults with a history of severe childhood asthma is limited. Our aim was, therefore, to investigate these variables in individuals with a history of severe childhood asthma compared to a control population.

METHODS: The Kongsberg cohort comprises Danish individuals with a history of severe childhood asthma and a previous 4-month stay at an asthma care facility in Kongsberg, Norway, between 1950 and 1979. The cohort was compared 1:1 to sex and age matched controls with no previous diagnosis of or treatment for obstructive airway disease (OAD). Data from the national Danish health registries were used for comparing cases and controls.

RESULTS: A total of 1394 adults from the Kongsberg cohort were alive and residing in Denmark (mean age 63 years, 43% females) at the index date (June 2022). A Charlson comorbidity index score of ≥1 was higher in the study cohort compared to controls (7% versus 3%) (p < 0.01). Cases had a 1.5-fold increased likelihood of having a high educational level (p < 0.001) compared to controls. Compared to the controls, cases had a higher risk of all-cause ED visits, with individuals having lower educational levels showing the highest proportion of ED visits. Furthermore, 31.2% and 22.9%, respectively, of cases and controls with high educational levels had had ED visits. Compared to controls, logistic regression analysis revealed a 1.7-fold higher risk of all-cause ED visits in cases (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: In adults with a history of severe childhood asthma, educational level, comorbidity burden, and risk of ED visit were higher compared to matched controls with no history of obstructive airway disease.