Bronchial Asthma in Infants and Children in Arar City, Northern Saudi Arabia

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Background: Bronchial asthma frequently occurs in infants and children and it appears as frequent coughing, chest tightness, and distress. Objective: To study the risk factors, triggers, and associated conditions of bronchial asthma in infants and children in Arar, Saudi Arabia. Methods: An analytical hospital-based cross-sectional study, carried out in the pediatrics department of the maternity and children hospital in Arar city, Northern Saudi Arabia, during the period from 1 August to 31 September 2020. Data were collected by a personal interview with the mothers or caregivers accompanying all infants and children attending the hospital during the study period, and filling a predesigned questionnaire. Results: The study included 181 cases of bronchial asthma, 51.9% were males, 40.9% aged between 6 to 10 years old, 33.7% were between 11 to 18 years old, and 25.4% were 5 years old or younger. A family history of asthma was reported in 48.1% and 50.8% reported consanguinity between parents and 53.0% reported repeated exposure to passive smoking. As regards associated conditions; 37.6% reported seasonal flu, 39.2% allergic rhinitis, and 23.2% skin allergy. Regarding asthma triggers; our study reported 60.2% dust, 27.6% cold water, 5.5% physical exercise, 3.3% neurological stress, and only 3.3% cigarette smoke. The main complaint during asthma attacks was cough in 32%, shortening of breath 51.4%, chest tightness 12.2%, and sneezing in 4.4%. However, 62.4% of the cases use corticosteroids regularly. Conclusion: In the current study, there was a significant relationship between regularity of asthma attacks with age, regular use of corticosteroids, and repeated exposure to passive smoking while the relation was insignificant with gender and presence of associated comorbidities.