Uso del sistema de información geográfica para determinar la relación entre la severidad de la crisis asmáticas en niños y la cercanía a fábricas con chimenea en un distrito de Lima - Perú

Objectives: To determine the geographic relation between the severity of asthmatic crisis and the place of factories in emergency room San Martin de Porres (SMP) district in children attented in Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia from January 1997 to December 1998. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study. Age, sex, number of severe asthmatic crisis in last year, previous hospitalization for asthmatic crisis, home address and Bierman and Pierson score were obtained from medical records. Through the digitalized map of SMP with the database of geographic location, address of patients and of ten factories in the district were identified. We defined impact area as one with factories and 2-4 severe asthmatic crisis cases. By geospatial modeling we determined impact and no impact areas associated with more cases and factories. Results: 932 children were included, aged 6,5±3,2 years old. The children from impact zones had higher percent of hospitalization (75,4% vs 24,6%, p<0,05) and number of severe asthmatic crisis in last year (4,5±1.2 vs 1,8±0.7, p<0,05). Conclusions: There are higher number of severe asthmatic crisis in last year and hospitalizations in patients whose home is near factories from SMP.