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Bronchiolitis hospitalizations decreased in young children
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Bronchiolitis hospitalizations decreased between 2000 and 2009 among US children, according to recent study results published in Pediatrics.
“In contrast to these declines, use of mechanical ventilation and hospital charges for bronchiolitis hospitalizations increased markedly,” researchers wrote.
The serial, cross-sectional analysis included 544,828 children aged younger than 2 years discharged from a hospital for bronchiolitis in 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009.
Researchers found that incidence of bronchiolitis decreased from 17.9 per 1,000 person-years in 2000 to 14.9 per 1,000 person-years (P<.001). Researchers added that this was in part due to a 21% decrease in incidence among infants. However, there was a 13% increase of incidence in children aged 12 to 23 months.
However, there was a 34% increase in children with high-risk medical conditions and a 21% increase for the use of mechanical ventilation.
Nationwide hospital charges also increased 30% from $1.3 billion (95% CI, 1.27-1.41) to $1.7 billion (95% CI, 1.64-1.83).
“Although these data suggest a net improvement in severe bronchiolitis, continued efforts to evaluate its determinants and to standardize diagnosis and management may yield additional improvement in clinical outcomes,” researchers wrote. “For policymakers, because bronchiolitis continues to be a public health burden in an already-stressed health care system, the rising hospital charges call for the development of more cost-effective approaches to the management of severe bronchiolitis.”
Disclosure: The study was supported in part by the NIH.
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