Burden and spectrum of paediatric respiratory diseases at a referral hospital in North-Central Nigeria - A five-year review.
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Date
2019-11-13
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Introduction: Globally respiratory diseases, comprising a broad range of disease conditions due to infectious and
non-infectious causes, are a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Thus, identification of the burden
of respiratory illness will ensure appropriate interventions towards reducing its attendant morbidity and mor-
tality. The study was conducted to identify the burden, spectrum and outcome of respiratory diseases in hos-
pitalized children at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, North-Central Nigeria.
Methods: A retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study involving children admitted through the emergency
paediatric unit over five years (January 2013-December 2017) was conducted. Data on demography, diagnosis, co-
morbidities and complications, duration of admission, and outcome were collected and analyzed using SPSS 20.
Results: Of the total 7012 children admitted, 1939(27.7%) were due to respiratory diseases with a median age of
16 (interquartile range {IQR} 7-36) months. Males were 994(51.3%) and 945(48.7%) females. Infectious dis-
eases were the most common cause of admission. Pneumonia (50.1%) and aspiration pneumonitis (5.1%) ac-
counted for the highest admissions due to infective and non-infective respiratory diseases respectively. Overall,
respiratory diseases accounted for 20.7% (119/574) of the overall mortality among all admissions while the all-
respiratory disease mortality was 6.1% (119/1939). The major contributors to mortality were pneumonia, as-
piration pneumonitis and tuberculosis accounting for 81(68.1%), 12(10.1%) and nine (7.6%) deaths respec-
tively. The median duration of hospital stay was four days [IQR: 2 to 6 days]. A significantly higher proportion of
the deaths occurred with four days of admission and 82.4% of the deaths occurred among those aged less than
five years. A higher number of females (70, 58.8%) died compared to males (49, 41.2%), p=0.05.
Conclusion: Pneumonia and aspiration pneumonitis are major contributors to morbidity and mortality due to
respiratory diseases for which interventions towards improving childhood health indices should be prioritized.
Description
Keywords
pattern, pneumonia, children, respiratory disease
Citation
29. Ibraheem, R. M., Aderemi, J. A., Abdulkadir, M. B., & Johnson, W. B. R. (2020): Burden and spectrum of paediatric respiratory diseases at a referral hospital in North-Central Nigeria - A five-year review. African Journal of Emergency Medicine, 10(1), 3-7.