16/09/2025
Ottawa, Ontario — Tuesday September 16, 2025
Asthma is the most common chronic disease affecting kids and for many can lead to a visit to the emergency department (ED). One in four kids who are seen in the ED for asthma will be back for a second asthma-related visit within a year, but identifying those most at risk can be challenging.
Dhenuka Radhakrishnan led the multi-center PARKA study to see if a simple clinical risk score could be used to accurately predict which kids who visit the ED with moderate to severe asthma are most likely to return for a second asthma-related visit. In a study of 257 kids in Ontario the four-item PARKA score showed moderate to good predictive results.
“We successfully narrowed a large list of potential variables down to four items that are practical and available at the time of an emergency department visit” said Radhakrishnan, respirologist, respirologist and Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute. “The PARKA score looks at food allergies, family history of asthma, past acute asthma medical visits, and past respiratory emergency department visits.”
Future studies are required to validate the PARKA score as a reliable clinical tool, but it has the potential to help kids with asthma receive the preventative care they need before they make another trip to the ED.