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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Biochemical Measurement of Neonatal Hypoxia
Published on: August 24, 2011
Hypoxaemia in hospitalised under-five Nigerian children with pneumonia
R M Ibraheem1, W B Johnson, A A Abdulkarim
1Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital,Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
Insights
Hypoxaemia affects over 40% of hospitalized children with pneumonia in Nigeria. Clinical signs like restlessness and chest wall indrawing can help identify this serious complication in resource-limited settings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Respiratory Medicine
- Global Health
Background:
- Hypoxaemia is an under-reported complication of severe respiratory illness, particularly in developing nations.
- Pneumonia is a leading cause of mortality in children under five globally.
- Accurate assessment of hypoxaemia is crucial for timely intervention in pediatric pneumonia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of hypoxaemia in hospitalized children under five with pneumonia.
- To identify clinical predictors of hypoxaemia in this vulnerable population.
- To assess the utility of specific clinical signs in diagnosing hypoxaemia in resource-limited settings.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 200 children aged two months to five years with pneumonia.
- Data collection included socio-demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters.
- Hypoxaemia was defined as arterial oxygen saturation <90% measured by pulse oximetry.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of hypoxaemia among children with pneumonia was 41.5%.
- Significant clinical predictors associated with hypoxaemia included restlessness, lower chest wall indrawing, bronchial breath sounds, and tender hepatomegaly (p<0.05).
- Specific clinical signs demonstrated varying sensitivities and specificities for detecting hypoxaemia.
Conclusions:
- A high burden of pneumonia-associated hypoxaemia exists in the study population.
- Restlessness, chest wall indrawing, bronchial breath sounds, and tender hepatomegaly are valuable clinical indicators for detecting hypoxaemia.
- These clinical findings can aid in the early identification of pneumonia-related hypoxaemia in healthcare facilities with limited resources.
Background:
Hypoxaemia constitutes a possible complication of severe respiratory illness which is often under-reported in developing countries. Therefore, the current study was carried out to determine the prevalence and clinical predictors of hypoxaemia in hospitalized under-five children with pneumonia in Ilorin, Nigeria.
Methods:
This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of 200 children aged between two months and five years with pneumonia recruited consecutively. Socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory data were obtained. The pulse oximetry measurement was recorded after a stable reading for at least one minute while the child was breathing room air. Hypoxaemia was defined as an arterial oxygen saturation of less than 90%. Data was analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 software.
Results:
The male/female ratio was 1.5:1.The prevalence of hypoxaemia in the children with pneumonia was 41.5%.Using a linear regression analysis, the clinical features that were significantly associated with hypoxaemia were restlessness, lower chest wall indrawing, bronchial breath sounds and tender hepatomegaly (p<0.05 each). Restlessness had a sensitivity of 22.9%, specificity of 91.5%, while chest wall indrawing had a sensitivity of 86.7% and specificity of 53.3%. Bronchial breath sound had a sensitivity of 16.9%, a specificity of 95.7% whereas tender hepatomegaly had a sensitivity of 48.2% and specificity of 82.9%.
Conclusion:
There is a high local burden of pneumonia-associated hypoxaemia. Restlessness, chest wall indrawing, bronchial breath sounds and tender hepatomegaly could be useful in detecting pneumonia-related hypoxemia in poorly equipped health facilities.
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