The Pattern of Comorbidities of Childhood Asthma as Seen in the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Background: Asthma exits with comorbidities which can affect the quality of life of children with asthma. Objective: To identify the common comorbidities with asthma, identify factors associated with the presence of specific comorbidities and evaluate their impact on asthma severity and control among children attending the respiratory clinic in the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. Materials & Methods: All asthma cases seen in the paediatric respiratory clinic, from 1st November 2014 to 30th October 2019 were consecutively recruited. Results: Of 264 children with asthma, 190 (72.0%) had other comorbidities with a F:M ratio of 1.56:1. Difficulty in breathing, chest pain, and the degree of asthma control were significantly associated with having other comorbidities while SPO2 at 1st consult was significantly lower in children with comorbidities, P value 0.05. Allergic rhinitis 116 (43.9%), adenotonsillar hypertrophy 99 (37.5%), atopic dermatitis 54 (20.5%), allergic conjunctivitis 37 (14%), food allergy 27 (10.2) and Gastroesophageal reflux14 (5.3%) were the commonest comorbidities identified. Majority (24, 88.9%) had allergy to one type of food. Children years and those whose age at diagnosis was years were significantly at lower risk of having atopic dermatitis. Gastroesophageal reflux disease was significantly more likely to be seen in children aged > 11 years, overweight children, and those presenting with chest pain or chest tightness. Presence of various comorbidities increased the odds of having a more severe asthma, and likelihood of which increased with increasing number of coexisting comorbidities. Conclusion: The prevalence of allergic comorbidity is high among asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis being the commonest cause. Most children with asthma have more than one allergic comorbidity. A comprehensive evaluation of these comorbidities is thus essential in the management of asthmatic children for improved outcomes and quality of life.