{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,8]],"date-time":"2026-02-08T12:08:13Z","timestamp":1770552493122,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]],"date-time":"2025-05-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746748800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>The increase in respiratory infections post-COVID-19 pandemic, attributed to relaxed masking and social distancing, has raised concerns about a new pattern of severe asthma exacerbations in children. We compare admission rates, severity, and risk factors of status asthmaticus in children with reference to the past 3 years before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Study design<\/jats:title><jats:p>This is a population-based cross-sectional analysis. Admission records were retrieved from the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong. Patients aged 2 to &amp;lt;18 years admitted for status asthmaticus between January 2017 and March 2024 were included.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Main results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The incidence rate of pediatric status asthmaticus increased after the COVID-19 period compared to before COVID-19 (5.7\u20137.3 per 100,000 children aged 2 to &amp;lt;18 years), with a higher increase in children aged 2 to &amp;lt;6 years (10.1\u201320.6 per 100,000 children aged 2 to &amp;lt;18 years). There was a higher percentage of status asthmaticus admissions among total pediatric asthma admissions after COVID-19 (0.83% vs. 2.87%, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.0001). Admissions are predicted to return to before COVID-19 levels by 2025.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Status asthmaticus increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in preschoolers. Public health measures during the pandemic may have prevented the children's immune systems from being educated with infection.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2025.1534770","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]],"date-time":"2025-05-09T05:37:28Z","timestamp":1746769048000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Population-based study on hospital admissions for pediatric status asthmaticus: from before to after the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Ka Ka","family":"Siu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael Kwan Leung","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jaime S.","family":"Rosa 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