COVID-19 lockdown dropped the rate of paediatric asthma admissions.

During the first 5 weeks of the state’s lockdown for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), from 16 March to 20 April 2020, we observed a 71% to 78% decrease in paediatric asthma admissions compared with the same time periods in the last 3 years. Regarding common asthma attack triggers, there was a 51% to 68% decrease in admissions for acute respiratory tract infections. Airborne pollen concentrations were within seasonally expected limits. A 48% to 58% reduction in the air nitrogen dioxide (NO2) level was detected, but concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 µm (PM10) did not change substantially (table 1). View this table: Table 1 Descriptive data of asthma and respiratory tract infection admissions at Ljubljana Children’s Hospital, mean daily pollen count, and the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter with a …