Clinical Profile and Outcomes of Acute Respiratory Infections in Children Admitted to Tertiary Care Hospitals.

Abstract

Background:

Acute respiratory infections (Aris) serve as the major healthcare problems which cause mortality and hospital admissions among children especially across low- and middle-income nations. Aris consist of both mild upper respiratory tract infections alongside dangerous lower respiratory tract conditions which may progress to pneumonia. The diagnosis must happen early and effective treatments combined with risk factor detection ensures better results and it reduces disease impact.

Objectives:

This study determines the clinical characteristics along with risk elements and final results of children who receive hospital care for acute respiratory infections at tertiary care facilities while analyzing features leading to treatment intensity and hospitalization duration.

Study Design: A Perspective Study.

Place and duration of study. Department of pediatric MTI,LRH Peshawar  from January  2022 to june 2022

Methods:

150 children from one month to twelve years old was included who received hospital admission due to Aris. The study collected clinical presentations together with laboratory test results and hospitalization times and patient outcomes. A statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 24.0 through the platform. The statistical tests included mean and standard deviation along with chi-square with p<0.05 determining statistical significance.

Results:

100 patients with 88 males constituting 58.7% of the total patient population while 62 patients comprised 41.3%. The participating patients had an average age of 3.6 ± 2.8 years old. The three main symptoms reported by patients were fever in 91% and cough in 86% along with respiratory distress in 68%. Approximately sixty percent of patients received pneumonia diagnosis with bronchiolitis becoming present in twenty-five percent of cases. The patients spent on average 5.2 days ± 2.1 days in the hospital. The combination of severe malnutrition together with patients waiting too long to seek hospital treatment led to longer stays and complications according to statistical results (p=0.003).

Conclusion:

Acute respiratory infections constitute a significant health problem for hospitalized children since they mostly affect children younger than five years old. Time-sensitive identification of serious illness symptoms coupled with prompt medical actions leads to better patient results. Worse outcomes in hospitalized children often relate to their malnutrition status and late medical services participation. The reduction of Aris hospitalizations together with its complications necessitates both primary healthcare system improvements and enhanced parental education programs.