The Paediatric Respiratory Ambulatory care clinic at Children's Hospital has seen a dramatic increase of over 23% from fiscal 1997/98 to 1998/99. The outpatient clinic sees over 100 patients a week.

Inpatient cases have declined over the same fiscal period to enhanced patient and family education, preventative treatment methods and a shift from inpatient to ambulatory care as mandated by the Health Services Restructuring Commission. The referral pattern for patients seen by the Respiratory program, and those admitted to CH show that over 56% of the patients are from outside the local London/Middlesex region.

The Team:

• Dr. Brian Lyttle, Paediatric Respirologist
• Dr. April Price, Paediatric Respirologist

The Facts:

• Asthma is an increasingly prevalent childhood condition that is responsible for a significant amount of morbidity;
• Asthma is the leading cause of hospital admission for children;
• Over 12,200 children under the age of 20 are hospitalized annually for asthma in Ontario;
• More than 67,000 preschool children (between one and four years) are admitted to hospital every year in Canada due to respiratory disease;
• There are two seasonal peaks in asthma hospitalization, Spring and Fall

University of Western Ontario, Department of Paediatrics
800 Commissioners Road East, Rm E6-103
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5W9
Tel: (519) 685-8377  Fax: (519) 685-8156