Abstract

Background: Correct severity assessment of asthma exacerbations helps in appropriate management. The purpose of the study was to investigate the value of the Acute Asthma Intensity Research Score (AAIRS) in assessing the severity of asthma exacerbations in children. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 226 children aged 1-15 years admitted with asthma exacerbations from April 2018 to June 2020. Results: The majority of children were admitted with severe asthma exacerbations (44.2% in children aged 1-5 years and 85.5% in children aged 6-15 years). The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe AAIRS were 31.0%, 56.6%, and 12.4%, respectively. In children 5 years and younger, AAIRS ≥ 9 had a sensitivity of 73.81% and a specificity of 83.02% in the classification of severe asthma exacerbations according to the guidelines of Vietnam Ministry of Health (AUC = 0.833) with Cohen’s kappa coefficient k = 0.17. In children aged 6-15 years, AAIRS ≥ 6 had a sensitivity of 89.29% and a specificity of 100% in the classification of severe asthma exacerbations according to the GINA guidelines (AUC = 0.951) with Cohen’s kappa coefficient k = 0.56. Conclusion: The AAIRS was not a substitute for current guidelines for assessing asthma exacerbation severity, especially in children aged 1-5 years.