Pediatric community-acquired pneumonia in Federal Medical Center, Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State

Abstract

Context: Pediatric pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among children in many hospitals in Nigeria. The relative contribution of this disease among children admitted to our facility has not yet been documented. Aims: The aim was to determine the prevalence and outcome of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Pediatrics of FMCBKD. Methods: One hundred and twenty-three children aged 2 months–14 years who were managed for CAP from January 2019 to December 2020 were studied. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 16. Continuous data were represented as mean or median as appropriate, while categorical data were presented as percentages. The Chi-square and Student's t-tests were used to identify the significant differences for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of pneumonia was 9.2%. Most of the children were aged 24 months and below with a male preponderance of 1.5:1. Bronchopneumonia was the most common form of clinical presentation, and 67 (71.3%) children presented with severe disease. The case fatality rate was 29.8% (28 deaths), and most of the deaths were among children <24 months of age, females, and those who presented with severe disease. Conclusions: CAP is prevalent and causes a significant mortality in children in Jigawa State. Strengthening preventive measures to control pneumonia and increasing public awareness of early presentation to a health facility will reduce mortality.