TY - JOUR

T1 - The Impact of Social Distancing in 2020 on Admission Rates for Exacerbations in Asthma

T2 - A Nationwide Cohort Study

AU - Toennesen, Louise Lindhardt

AU - Bonnesen, Barbara

AU - Sivapalan, Pradeesh

AU - Jordan, Alexander Svorre

AU - Saeed, Mohamad Isam

AU - Eklöf, Josefin

AU - Ulrik, Charlotte Suppli

AU - Skaarup, Kristoffer Grundtvig

AU - Højberg Lassen, Mats Christian

AU - Biering-Sørensen, Tor

AU - Stæhr Jensen, Jens Ulrik

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - BackgroundSocial distancing measures introduced during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic have reduced admission rates for various infectious and noninfectious respiratory diseases. We hypothesized that rates of asthma exacerbations would decline following the national lockdown in Denmark.ObjectiveTo determine weekly rates of in- and out-of-hospital asthma exacerbations before and during the social distancing intervention implemented on March 12, 2020.MethodsAll individuals older than 18 years with at least 1 outpatient hospital contact with asthma as the main diagnosis from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017, were included. Weekly asthma exacerbation rates from January 1, 2018, to May 22, 2020, were calculated. An interrupted time-series model with the lockdown on March 12, 2020, as the point of interruption was used.ResultsA total of 38,225 patients with asthma were identified. The interrupted time-series model showed no immediate fall in exacerbation rates during the first week after March 12, 2020. However, there was a significant decline in weekly exacerbation rates in the following 10 weeks (change in trend for exacerbations requiring hospitalization: −0.75 [95% CI, −1.39 to −0.12]; P < .02 and in all asthma exacerbations: −12.2 [95% CI, −19.1 to −5.4; P < .001), amounting to a reduction of approximately 1 and 16.5 exacerbations per year per 100 patients in the cohort, respectively.ConclusionsThe introduction of the social distancing measures in Denmark did not lead to an immediate reduction in asthma exacerbation rates; however, a gradual decline in exacerbation rates during the following 10-week period was observed.

AB - BackgroundSocial distancing measures introduced during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic have reduced admission rates for various infectious and noninfectious respiratory diseases. We hypothesized that rates of asthma exacerbations would decline following the national lockdown in Denmark.ObjectiveTo determine weekly rates of in- and out-of-hospital asthma exacerbations before and during the social distancing intervention implemented on March 12, 2020.MethodsAll individuals older than 18 years with at least 1 outpatient hospital contact with asthma as the main diagnosis from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017, were included. Weekly asthma exacerbation rates from January 1, 2018, to May 22, 2020, were calculated. An interrupted time-series model with the lockdown on March 12, 2020, as the point of interruption was used.ResultsA total of 38,225 patients with asthma were identified. The interrupted time-series model showed no immediate fall in exacerbation rates during the first week after March 12, 2020. However, there was a significant decline in weekly exacerbation rates in the following 10 weeks (change in trend for exacerbations requiring hospitalization: −0.75 [95% CI, −1.39 to −0.12]; P < .02 and in all asthma exacerbations: −12.2 [95% CI, −19.1 to −5.4; P < .001), amounting to a reduction of approximately 1 and 16.5 exacerbations per year per 100 patients in the cohort, respectively.ConclusionsThe introduction of the social distancing measures in Denmark did not lead to an immediate reduction in asthma exacerbation rates; however, a gradual decline in exacerbation rates during the following 10-week period was observed.

KW - Asthma

KW - Epidemiology

KW - Exacerbations

KW - Lockdown

KW - Social distancing

U2 - 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.04.020

DO - 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.04.020

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35500879

AN - SCOPUS:85130464522

VL - 10

SP - 2086-2092.e2

JO - The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice

JF - The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice

SN - 2213-2198

IS - 8

ER -