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Objective: Pediatric asthma exacerbations are common emergencies seen in the emergency department (ED), with a high potential for decompensation. While it is known that substance use disorder (SUD) complicates management of pediatrics in the ED, little is known about how they influence outcomes in asthma exacerbations. This study aims to assess how a coexisting SUD diagnosis influences clinical outcomes in pediatric ED visits for asthma exacerbation.
Methods: We queried the deidentified TriNetX database to identify patients aged 11–21 who presented to the ED with asthma exacerbation between 01/01/2010 and 01/01/2025 (n=75,167). Patients with a documented SUD diagnosis within the last 1 year (n=5,712) were compared to patients who have never been diagnosed with SUD (n=69,455). Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed (1:1) based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, and common pediatric comorbidities. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and p-values (<0.05 significant) were used to compare outcomes.
Results: After PSM (5,703 per cohort), within 0–1 day of ED presentation, adolescents with SUD were more likely to receive systemic corticosteroids (RR=1.23 1.19–1.27), inhaled beta-agonists (RR=1.32 1.29–1.36), and magnesium sulfate (RR=1.94 1.72–2.19; all p<0.001). They more frequently underwent chest X-ray (RR=1.46 1.39–1.53) and blood gas analysis (RR=2.33 1.97–2.76) and required CPAP (RR=2.40 1.68–3.41), sedation (RR=1.53 1.31–1.77), inpatient (RR=1.80 1.56–2.07), and ICU care (RR=1.47 1.19–1.82; all p<0.001). From 1 day to 1 month post-presentation, SUD patients showed higher risks of repeat asthma exacerbation (RR=1.43 1.29–1.59), ED revisits (RR=1.55 1.41–1.69), ICU admission (RR=2.07 1.52–2.83), acute respiratory failure (RR=2.12 1.56–2.86), pneumonia (RR=1.75 1.33–2.31), and SDOH code documentation (RR=1.79 1.28–2.50; all p<0.001).
Conclusion: Pediatric patients with SUD experience significantly greater resource utilization during ED visits for asthma exacerbations, including increased admissions, interventions, and diagnostic testing. These findings highlight the urgent need for integrated, multidisciplinary care strategies that address the complex medical and behavioral health needs of this vulnerable population.