TITLE:
Treatment of Status Asthmaticus in Paediatric Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Study in a Country with Limited Resources
AUTHORS:
Amadou Sow, Yaye Joor Dieng, Dieynaba Fafa Cissé, Aliou Thiongane, Djibril Boiro, Guilaye Diagne, Mohamed Swalha, Ndeye Fatou Sow, Aminata Mbaye, Awa Kane, Modou Gueye, Abou Ba, Idrissa Ba, Ousmane Ndiaye
KEYWORDS:
Asthma, Crisis, Severe, Treatment, Senegal
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.15 No.6,
October
24,
2025
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children. The aim of our study was to describe the therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of severe status asthmaticus in paediatric emergency departments. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted over a 12-month period and included children aged 2 months to 15 years hospitalised for severe asthma attack. Results: We included 54 patients in our study. The prevalence of severe asthma attack was 3.99%. The sex ratio was 1.34. The mean age of the patients was 54.31 months. Respiratory difficulty (90.7%) and cough (83.3%) were the main reasons for consultation. All patients had received nebulized salbutamol and intravenous corticosteroids. The majority of patients (72.2%) had received ipratropium bromide. Magnesium sulphate was administered to 11.1% of patients. All patients had a favourable outcome, with an average hospital stay of 2.83 days (1 day to 7 days). No deaths were reported. Conclusion: The management of severe asthma attacks remains well codified and the outcome is favourable in the majority of cases, despite certain difficulties in countries with limited resources.