Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42194236›Full record

ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Severe Asthma Exacerbations in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Clinical Profile, Management, and Outcomes-Retrospective Study.

Amal H Aljohani, Hamdi Ahmed Alsufiani, Abeer Musaibieh AlSaadi, Nora Abdulrahman Alem, Mamoun AliAbusunoon, Amnah Ibrahim Madkhali

Abstract read
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Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Amal H AljohaniDivision of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Pediatric Department, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Madinah 42353, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-3072-2015
Hamdi Ahmed AlsufianiDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, Pediatric Department, King Salman Medical City, Madinah 42319, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-3550-5370
Abeer Musaibieh AlSaadiDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, Pediatric Department, King Salman Medical City, Madinah 42319, Saudi Arabia.
Nora Abdulrahman AlemDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, Pediatric Department, King Salman Medical City, Madinah 42319, Saudi Arabia.
Mamoun AliAbusunoonClinical Science Department, College of Medicine, Al-Rayan National Colleges, Madinah 42541, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0009-0007-5385-8384
Amnah Ibrahim MadkhaliPediatric Department, King Salman Medical City, Madinah 42319, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSevere asthma exacerbations remain a major cause of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions, particularly in early childhood.

objectiveTo describe the demographic characteristics, clinical features, management strategies, and short-term outcomes of children admitted to the PICU with severe acute asthma exacerbations.

methodsA retrospective descriptive study was conducted of pediatric patients aged 1-14 years with severe acute asthma requiring PICU admission at King Salman Medical City, Madinah, Saudi Arabia (January 2023-October 2024). A total of 73 patients were included. Data included demographics, risk factors, medical history, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes.

resultsThe mean patient age was 4.6 years, with most (57.5%) aged 1-5 years. Males comprised 56.2% of cases. WHO BMI-for-age z-score assessment revealed a bimodal nutritional distribution: 27.9% of patients were underweight, including 20.6% with severe underweight, while 29.4% were overweight or obese; 42.6% had normal nutritional status. Severe undernutrition was concentrated in the 1-5-year age group, whereas obesity predominated in the 6-10-year age group. A family history of asthma was noted in 54.8% of patients; 16.4% had prior COVID-19 infection. Early symptom onset and delayed diagnosis were common. Poor asthma control was documented in 60.3%, with low medication adherence (9.6%) and limited aerochamber use (13.7%). The most frequent presenting symptoms were dyspnea, cough, and wheezing. Management followed evidence-based protocols: systemic corticosteroids and bronchodilators were first-line therapies. The mean PICU stay was 3.1 days and the mean hospital stay was 8.1 days. No mortality or major complications occurred; 93.2% of patients were discharged in good health.

conclusionsSevere pediatric asthma requiring PICU admission is associated with early symptom onset, a bimodal pattern of nutritional risk encompassing both undernutrition and overweight/obesity, family history of asthma, and inadequate outpatient management. These descriptive findings highlight the need for age-adjusted nutritional screening, enhanced medication adherence support, and targeted outpatient education to reduce avoidable PICU admissions.

Indexed as

intensive carepediatric asthmaPediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)respiratory failuresevere acute asthmastatus asthmaticus

Identifiers

PMID42194236
PMCPMC13205015

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.