A recent Canadian study has shown that parents with children with asthma should be very alert about the H1N1 virus. The H1N1 virus is more dangerous to children with asthma than the seasonal flu.
Parents of children with asthma should have an "increased state of alertness" about the pandemic flu virus, suggests the co-author of a new Canadian study comparing it to seasonal flu. Asthma is a significant risk factor for kids who get the new H1N1 virus, compared to seasonal flu, the study indicates.
The study involved scrutinizing the charts of 58 youngsters admitted with swine flu from May 8 to July 22 this year, as well as the records of 200 kids with seasonal flu admitted from 2004 to 2009. The data showed that 22 per cent of kids admitted with H1N1 had asthma compared with six per cent of those admitted with seasonal influenza.
"Coming out of this study is the finding that children with asthma seem to be at a greater risk of ending up in hospital," said Dr. Upton Allen, chief of infectious diseases at the hospital and one of the authors of the study. The findings should not alarm parents but they should remain vigilant.
“Parents should be cautious, and seek medical attention if their child who has asthma were to develop signs and symptoms suggestive of H1N1 infection," Allen said.
The data also showed that children admitted to hospital with H1N1 were significantly older than those with seasonal influenza - with a median age of 6.4 years compared to 3.3 years. The researchers found that almost half of all admissions to the intensive care unit for H1N1 influenza were children with asthma.
It is recommended by the authors of the study that children with asthma be immediately vaccinated against the H1N1virus.