Clinical Profile, Radiological Findings, and Risk Factors Associated with Pneumonia among Children Admitted in
Pradeep Sharma1, Roshan Bhandari1, Pranodan Poudel1
1Department of Pediatrics, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kavre, Nepal.
Insights
Pneumonia in children often presents with fever and cough. Key risk factors for mortality include sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation, highlighting the need for prompt diagnosis and intervention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Pneumonia is a leading cause of childhood mortality and morbidity globally.
- It is a common acute respiratory infection with varied clinical presentations.
- This study focuses on pediatric pneumonia cases admitted to Dhulikhel Hospital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate risk factors associated with pediatric pneumonia.
- To describe the clinical and radiological profile of admitted pneumonia cases.
- To evaluate the short-term outcomes of children with pneumonia.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted.
- Data collected from 65 children aged six months to sixteen years admitted with pneumonia.
- Analysis involved descriptive statistics of socio-demographic, clinical, radiological, and outcome data.
Main Results:
- The majority of cases (76.9%) were children aged six months to five years.
- Fever (98.5%) and cough (86.2%) were the most frequent symptoms.
- Common clinical findings included crepitations (78.5%) and subcostal retractions (29.2%).
- Mortality was linked to disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombocytopenia, sepsis, and right heart failure.
- Mechanical ventilation, oxygenation, and inotrope support correlated with fatal outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Fever and cough are the predominant clinical presentations in pediatric pneumonia.
- Right middle zone consolidation was the most common radiological finding.
- Identifying associated conditions and interventions is crucial for managing severe pneumonia.
Background:
Pneumonia is the commonest lung disease which is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in young children and is a common acute respiratory infection. The presentation varies among the cases. The study was done to know the risk factors, clinical profile, radiological findings, and short-term outcome of the admitted patients with pneumonia between six months to sixteen years at Dhulikhel Hospital.
Methods:
A hospital based observational prospective cross-sectional study done in 65 cases over the period of 17 months in children admitted with pneumonia at Pediatrics department of Dhulikhel Hospital. Socio-demographic variables, clinical profile, radiological profile, diagnosis, and short-term outcome were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results:
Out of 65 patients, 76.9% cases were children between six months to five years. The most common clinical presentation was fever (98.5%) followed by cough (86.2%). Crepitation (78.5%) and subcostal retraction (29.2%) were common clinical findings. Disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombocytopenia, sepsis, and right heart failure were associated with mortality. The requirement of mechanical ventilation, oxygenation, and inotrope support was more likely to have fatal outcome.
Conclusions:
Fever and cough were the most common clinical presentation and right middle zone consolidation was the most common finding in children admitted with pneumonia.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia I: Introduction
Risk Factors
Various factors influence the likelihood of developing pneumonia. Age plays a crucial role, with infants, children under two, and individuals over 65 at increased risk due to their...
01:29Pneumonia II: Pathophysiology
01:30Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
01:30Pneumonia V: Nursing management and Prevention
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed.
01:14Atypical Pneumonia
01:29Pneumonia I: Introduction