Comparison of Children Hospitalized for Asthma Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Studies suggest that children with asthma experienced improved symptom control and less frequent inpatient admission during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. The characteristics of hospitalized children remain less well defined. This retrospective cohort study compared patients admitted for asthma during the pandemic with patients hospitalized the year prior at a children's hospital in the Bronx, New York. In the year before the pandemic, 667 children were hospitalized for asthma, compared with 177 children the following year. Children admitted during the pandemic were older (7.8 versus 7.0 years,  = 0.04), more likely underweight ( < 0.01), and more likely to have public insurance ( = 0.02). Additionally, children hospitalized during the pandemic required intensive care ( = 0.03) and magnesium sulfate ( = 0.05) more frequently. Despite this, length of stay remained similar. While inpatient utilization for asthma decreased during the pandemic, children hospitalized were sicker on presentation. The cause of this is likely multifactorial and requires further study.