Measures D3 and D4: Emergency Room Visits and Hospitalizations for Respiratory Diseases

Graph for measure D3

Emergency room visits for asthma and other respiratory causes were 369 per 10,000 children in 1992 and 346 per 10,000 children in 2006.
Trends in individual causes of emergency room visits remained fairly stable between 1992 and 2006, with the exception of a large drop in the rates for acute upper respiratory infections in 2004. In 2006, hospitals reported 228 emergency room visits per 10,000 children for acute upper respiratory infections, 81 visits per 10,000 children for asthma, and 37 visits per 10,000 children for acute bronchitis.
Data on children’s emergency room visits for asthma and other respiratory causes by race and ethnicity are shown in the data tables.

Graph for Measure D4

Hospital admissions for asthma and other respiratory causes were 55 per 10,000 children in 1980 and 46 per 10,000 children in 2006.
Hospital admissions for asthma alone increased from 21 per 10,000 children in 1980 to 31 per 10,000 children in 2002 and then decreased to 21 per 10,000 children in 2006.
Hospital admissions for acute bronchitis increased from 16 per 10,000 children in 1980 to 29 per 10,000 children in 2002 and then decreased to 21 per 10,000 children in 2006.
Hospital admissions decreased for acute upper respiratory infections from 18 per 10,000 children in 1980 to 4 per 10,000 children in 2006.
Asthma hospitalizations accounted for about 6 percent of all hospitalizations for children aged 0-14 in 2006, and asthma was the fourth leading individual cause of non-injury-related hospital admissions in that year.¹
Acute bronchitis accounted for about 7 percent of all hospitalizations for children aged 0-14 in 2006. Acute bronchitis was the third leading individual cause of non-injury-related hospital admissions in that year.¹
Children aged 0-14 represented 33 percent of asthma hospitalizations for all ages (children and adults) during 2006.¹
Children’s access to primary and preventive care also plays a role in the number of hospitalizations.

Data on children’s hospital admissions for asthma and other respiratory causes by race are shown in the data tables.

DeFrances CJ, Lucas CA, Buie VC, Golosinskiy A. 2006 National Hospital Discharge Survey. National health statistics reports; no 5. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2008.

Measures:

Respiratory Diseases

Childhood Cancer

Neurodevelopmental Disorders