Acute Bronchitis and Bronchiolitis Infection in Children with Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on 5,027,486 Children in Taiwan

This study evaluated the risks of childhood acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis (CABs) for children with asthma or allergic rhinitis (AR). Using insurance claims data of Taiwan, we identified, from children of <= 12 years old in 2000-2016, cohorts with and without asthma (N = 192,126, each) and cohorts with and without AR (N = 1,062,903, each) matched by sex and age. By the end of 2016, the asthma cohort had the highest bronchitis incidence, AR and non-asthma cohorts followed, and the lowest in the non-AR cohort (525.1, 322.4, 236.0 and 169.9 per 1000 person-years, respectively). The Cox method estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of bronchitis were 1.82 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.80-1.83) for the asthma cohort and 1.68 (95% CI, 1.68-1.69) for the AR cohort, relative to the respective comparisons. The bronchiolitis incidence rates for these cohorts were 42.7, 29.5, 28.5 and 20.1 per 1000 person-years, respectively. The aHRs of bronchiolitis were 1.50 (95% CI, 1.48-1.52) for the asthma cohort and 1.46 (95% CI, 1.45-1.47) for the AR cohort relative to their comparisons. The CABs incidence rates decreased substantially with increasing age, but were relatively similar for boys and girls. In conclusion, children with asthma are more likely to develop CABs than are children with AR.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the risks of childhood acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis for children with asthma or allergic rhinitis. The results showed that children with asthma or allergic rhinitis had a higher risk of developing these respiratory diseases compared to those without these conditions. The incidence rates decreased with increasing age, but were relatively similar for boys and girls.