Prevalence and Pattern of Pneumonia among Children Admitted into University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital: A Two Year Review

Abstract

Introduction: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children, it accounts for 17.0% of under- five deaths in Nigeria yearly. The aim of this study is to determine the pattern of pneumonia among children in Port Harcourt.
 Materials and Methods: A 2year retrospective descriptive study was done; the admission and discharge records at the children emergency ward (CHEW) and folders of patients admitted for pneumonia were used to retrieve information.
 Results: A total of 2169 children were admitted into CHEW from 2017- 2018, this comprised of 1089 (50.2%) males and 1080 (49.8%) females. Of the 2169 children, 286 (13.2%) of them had pneumonia. More males (16.9%) compared to females (9.4%) had pneumonia, with a significant gender difference. (ꭓ2 = 26.29, p = < 0.001) Males were twice more likely to have pneumonia compared to the females (OR = 1.95, CI= 1.51-2.54). The highest prevalence of Pneumonia (27.1%) was amongst children < 1 year old (P = <0.001). Thirteen (4.6%) of those that had pneumonia died. Mortality was highest (9.2%) among those who presented late (> 5 days after onset of symptoms.) (ꭓ2 =10.73, p = 0.03).
 Conclusion: Childhood pneumonia is still a burden among children in Port Harcourt. Early presentation to the hospital may reduce the mortality.

Profile of paediatric neurologic emergencies at the children emergency ward in a tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

“…1 Similarly, two Nigerian studies had related the interval between the onset of symptoms and time of presentations to the outcome of the illness and asserted delay in presentation as a contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality. 9,10 Reasons for late presentations could be due to use of self-prescribed antibiotics, patronizing unqualified persons for treatment, traditional and religious practices that patients are subjected to before presenting to the hospital and ignorance as reported in previous study, however, the reasons for late presentation were not explored in this present study. 9,10 It could also be that the higher death rates in this study could be as a result of out-of-pocket payment for health care, for instance buying antibiotics is quite expensive and not often sustainable as meningitis was the most common cause of death in this present study.…”

The Pattern of Respiratory Diseases among Children Admitted in the Children Emergency Ward, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria

“…This may be because these studies reviewed patient's records over a longer period with a much larger sample size when compared to present study. Since the aetiology of respiratory diseases among children in Nigeria are mostly due to infections [2,13], scaling up immunization coverage to target preventable causes can significantly reduce its prevalence.…”

“…In a study done in Tanzania, pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis accounted for 82.1% mortality among the study population [9]. In Nigeria, pneumonia was responsible for about 20% of mortalities in children less than five years 3 and has been reported to be a leading cause of hospital admissions [3,[10][11][12][13]. In a study carried out among children in Port Harcourt, the prevalence of pneumonia was 13.2% and was observed to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the region [13].…”

“…In Nigeria, pneumonia was responsible for about 20% of mortalities in children less than five years 3 and has been reported to be a leading cause of hospital admissions [3,[10][11][12][13]. In a study carried out among children in Port Harcourt, the prevalence of pneumonia was 13.2% and was observed to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the region [13]. Asthma, on the other hand, is a leading cause of non-infectious respiratory disorder among children and adults and has been projected to be responsible for ≤0.7 per 100 000 death rates in children [14].…”