Asthma related admissions to RIPAS Hospital over a six-month period

Rosmonaliza AWANG ASLI, DSLJ Muhd Arif ABDULLAH, Vui Heng CHONG

Department of Medicine, RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Data on asthma remain scarce in our local setting. This study looked at asthma related admissions to RIPAS Hospital, in particular the aetiologies and the differences between short and long-stayers. Material and Methods: Patients admitted over a six months period (January to June 2008) were identified through the ward registries and the case notes were retrospectively reviewed. 2.9% (80/2,762) admissions to the medical wards were registered as asthma related admissions. Of the 80 cases identified, 72 notes were available for review. Results:  The mean age was 39.5 ± 17.4 years old and males accounted for 34.7%. 19.4% were current/ex-smokers, 50% had other co-morbid conditions, 80.6% had previous accident and emergency attendances, 54.2% had previous hospital admissions and 6.9% had previous intensive care admissions. The median and mean duration of hospital stay were four days (range, 1 to 15) and 4.9 ± 2.7 days respectively. The aetiologies for admissions consisted of infective (58.3%), non-infective exacerbations (18.1%) or both (23.6%) with hospital stays of 4.5 ± 2.4, 4.1 ± 2.7 and 6.6 ± 3.2 days respectively. Long-stayers (more than four days) were associated with older age, more co-morbid conditions, previous hospital admissions and dual aetiologies for exacerbations. Intensive care unit admission was required in 6.9%). There was no death recorded. Conclusions: Asthma related admissions only accounted for a small proportion of medical admissions with predominantly infective aetiology. Older age, dual aetiologies, more co-morbidities and previous hospital admissions were associated with longer hospital stay. 

Keywords: Asthma, chest infection, infective exacerbation, management

Brunei Int Med J. 2010; 6 (1): 27-33