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[Clinical profile in children under five year old with acute respiratory tract infections]

D M Duarte1, C Botelho

  • 1Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiabá, MT, Brazil.

Jornal De Pediatria
|December 4, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are common in young children, with upper airway infections like nasopharyngitis being most frequent. Maternal education level was a significant risk factor for acute lower respiratory infections.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent a significant global health burden in children under five.
  • Understanding the clinical and epidemiological profile of ARIs is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To delineate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of ARIs in children under five years old.
  • To identify potential risk factors associated with ARI development in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted involving 491 children under five years old.
  • Data were collected via parental questionnaires, including clinical signs, symptoms, socioeconomic factors, nutritional status, and passive smoking.
  • Cases were classified as Upper Airway Infection (UAI) or Acute Lower Respiratory Infection (ALRI) using Ministry of Health criteria; data analyzed using EPI-Info 6.02b with chi-squared tests.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of ARI was 25.6%, with 76.4% classified as UAI (predominantly nasopharyngitis) and 23.6% as ALRI.
  • Nasal discharge (82.1%) and cough (80.4%) were the most common symptoms.
  • Pneumonia accounted for 6.1% of all ARI cases and was the primary cause of hospitalization (77.7%). No significant associations were found with nutritional status, income, or passive smoking, but maternal educational status showed a statistical association with ALRI.

Conclusions:

  • Nasopharyngitis (UAI) was the most common diagnosis in young children, frequently affecting males.
  • Pneumonia (ALRI) was the leading cause of hospitalization, underscoring its severity.
  • Maternal educational status emerged as a significant risk factor for acute lower respiratory infections in children.

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