The prevalence of pediatric asthma hospitalizations at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis study protocol

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory lung disease and is a frequent cause of hospitalization in children. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced several challenges that have impacted the delivery of care for vulnerable patients, including asthmatic children. Asthmatic children without immediate access to healthcare services can face severe and fatal consequences. Furthermore, various governmental restrictions and viral mutants have been introduced throughout the pandemic, affecting COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of asthma hospitalizations during various stages of the pandemic. We also aim to compare asthma hospital admissions during the pandemic to pre-pandemic periods. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The databases PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane library will be used to identify relevant articles between the start of the pandemic and the date of the search strategy. Studies will be included if they examine hospital admissions for pediatric (0 to 18 years) asthma patients, regardless of asthma severity, sex, ethnicity or race. Observational retrospective cohort, prospective cohort, and cross-sectional studies will be included. A meta-analysis will be conducted if there are ≥2 articles. Else, a narrative review will be used to report our results. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022337606.