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Impact of Hurricanes on Children With Asthma: A Systematic Literature Review

Part of: Hurricanes Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2021

Kristen N. Cowan ,
Audrey F. Pennington ,
Tchernavia Gregory  and
Joy Hsu
Kristen N. Cowan*
Affiliation:
Asthma and Community Health Branch, Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chamblee, Georgia, USA Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
Audrey F. Pennington
Affiliation:
Asthma and Community Health Branch, Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chamblee, Georgia, USA
Tchernavia Gregory
Affiliation:
Asthma and Community Health Branch, Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chamblee, Georgia, USA
Joy Hsu
Affiliation:
Asthma and Community Health Branch, Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chamblee, Georgia, USA
*
Corresponding author: Kristen N. Cowan, Email: kcowan@unc.edu.
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Abstract

Following hurricanes, there can be increases in exacerbations of chronic diseases, such as asthma. Asthma is common among children, and many asthma exacerbations can be prevented. This systematic literature review assessed literature describing the impact of hurricanes on children with asthma in the United States. Medline, Embase, Global Health, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched for peer-reviewed, English-language articles published January 1990 to June 2019 that described the effect of a hurricane on children with asthma. This search identified 212 articles; 8 met inclusion criteria. All 8 were related to Hurricane Katrina, but research questions and study design varied. Articles included information on asthma after hurricanes from cross-sectional surveys, retrospective chart review, and objective clinical testing. Four articles described discontinuity in health insurance, asthma-related health care, or asthma medication use; and 3 articles examined the relationship between mold exposure and asthma symptoms and reported varying results. The eighth study quantified the burden of asthma among people visiting mobile medical units but did not describe factors associated with asthma symptoms. These results highlight opportunities for future research (eg, on more recent hurricanes) and disaster preparedness planning (eg, strategies to prevent health-care discontinuity among children with asthma).

Keywords

hurricanesasthmachildren

Information

Type
Systematic Review
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 777 - 782
Copyright
© 2021 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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