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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Despite major strides in asthma treatment over the past decade, ICU admission rates for asthmatic children climbed significantly from 2013 to 2022, while adult rates held steady. A large Canadian study found that children under 6 accounted for over a third of all pediatric ICU admissions. Researchers say more work is needed to understand why — and what can be done about it.
Despite a decade of significant advances in asthma therapies, a large population-based study out of Ontario, Canada, found that ICU admission rates for children and adolescents with asthma climbed sharply between 2013 and 2022 — while rates in adults remained essentially flat. The findings, published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, analyzed data from over 52,000 hospitalized asthma patients aged 0–59.
In adults, ICU admission and invasive ventilation rates were stable, but the number of long ICU stays (>10 days) and hospitalizations (>5 days) actually increased — suggesting that those who are admitted are experiencing more severe episodes. In children, the opposite pattern emerged: ICU admissions rose sharply, but long stays and invasive ventilation rates declined, possibly pointing to greater use of noninvasive ventilation strategies.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These findings are a wake-up call that better medications alone aren't translating into fewer severe asthma episodes in children. Researchers are calling for further study into the role of noninvasive ventilation, newer biologic therapies, and comorbidities like obesity and mental health conditions in driving pediatric ICU trends.
