Acute respiratory admissions in Thessaloniki, Greece: 14-year follow-up.

Background: Acute exacerbations of respiratory diseases are a common cause of hospitalization among infants and children.

Aim: To assess the epidemiological characteristics of asthma, bronchiolitis and croup among hospitalized children in Thessaloniki, from 1990 to 2003 included.

Methods: Data from the patient registry with discharge diagnosis "asthma", "bronchiolitis" and "croup" were analyzed retrospectively, in five Paediatric Departments of Thessaloniki.