Pattern of admissions in disabled children to the pediatric infectious ward

Abstract

Background: Disability is a relatively common problem in children. The pattern of admission in these children and their common infections may differ from other children because of their special disabilities. So we aimed at determination of the common infectious diseases result in admission of these children in our hospital.Methods: During September 2006 to September 2007, 60 disabled children aged between 4 months to 15 years were admitted to infectious ward, Mofid Children Hospital. A questionnaire was filled at admission time; particularly details of their recent complaint, Also children were completely examined. Finally the diagnoses were evaluated. Data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5 Chi-square was used for Qualitative variables.Results: In this study 25 (42%) boys and 35 (58%) girls aged from 4 to168 months were included. Twenty one patients (35%) had developmental, 8 (13%) mental, and 31 (52%) mental and developmental disabilities. The common diseases among these children were lower respiratory tract infection in 24 (40%), urinary tract infections in 8 (13.3%), and nonspecific viral infections in 8 (13.3%). Dental caries and periodontal problems were significantly higher in children with both mental and developmental disabilities, (P = 0.006) this relation was similar in deformity of extremities. Children with both mental and developmental disabilities were admitted more than children with each of them (P = 0.08). Children with both mental and developmental disabilities, and children with developmental disability had more respiratory signs than mentally disabled children (P = 0.02). Conclusion:Although lower respiratory tract infection in 24 (40%) was the most common reason for admission in these children in our study, we found no significant relation between type of disability and infectious disease. We conclude that more prospective studies and trails necessary to complete our findings.