The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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Hospital-based data reveal that children who have secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) experience severe respiratory illnesses and greater resource utilization. Our objective was to assess the relationship between SHSe and illness severity/resource utilization among children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED) with three common respiratory conditions-asthma, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. ⋯ SHS-exposed children with asthma or bronchiolitis have greater illness severity/resource utilization. Our findings highlight the importance of SHSe assessment, cessation, and research efforts in the PED setting.