Factors Associated with Asthma among Children Attending Selected Tertiary Care Child Hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Background: Asthma is one of the most common chronic childhood illnesses, with rapidly increasing prevalence in low-income countries. Among young children, asthma is often underdiagnosed. We investigated asthma-related factors among children attending two selected tertiary care child hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The primary objective was to identify factors associated with childhood asthma and find the asthmatic patients' socio-demographic information. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between January and December 2018 among 280 asthmatic children aged 5-14 years. The physician made the diagnosis. A structured questionnaire based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase II for asthma in children was administered to the mothers. Analysis was done using descriptive and inferential measures. Results: The Mean (±SD) age of the patients was 7.5 (± 2.5) (95% CI: 7.3 – 7.9). Boys (68.2%) were in higher proportion than girls (36.8%). The other prominent features of the children were: caesarian delivery 43.6%, breastfed 96.4% of which 62.9% had more than 12 months of breastfeeding and 46.4% were exclusively breastfed. The mean (± SD) monthly family income of the families was Taka 26,700 (± 11200; 95% CI: Tk. 25400 – 28000). There was a statistically significant association between age and type of asthma (χ2 =10.5, p= 0.001, df= 1) (OR= 3.02; 95% CI: 1.51 – 6.0). We also found statistically significant association between type of delivery and type asthma passive smoking (χ2 = 6.84, p= 0.009), OR= 0.398; 95%CI: 0.196 – 0.81), passive smoking and type of asthma (χ2 = 4.2, p= 0.04, OR= 2.378; 95%CI: 1.02 – 5.57), gestation period and type of asthma (χ2 = 8.5, p= 0.004, OR= 0.28; 95%CI: 0.12 – 0.69) and gender (χ2 = 4.5, p= 0.03, OR= 0.6; 95% CI= 0.3 – 0.96). Conclusion: The proportion of asthmatic patients was higher in boys than girls; also males were at 60% higher risk of exposure to passive smoking than females. Age, passive smoking, gestation period, and birth by cesarean were significant risk factors for allergic asthma in childhood.