Abstract:
Objective: To find out the hospital burden of pneumonia and preventable factors
associated with the disease.
Design: Prospective cross sectional study.
Setting: The paediatric ward of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Western
Kenya.
Subjects: All the children admitted to the paediatric wards and found to have clinical
features consistent with pneumonia.
Results: One thousand eight hundred and eighty two children were included in the
study out of whom pneumonia was responsible for 13.23% and 5.5% of all deaths.
Degree of severity was used to classify patients into mild pneumonia, severe pneumonia
and very severe pneumonia each group comprised 12%, 70% and 18% respectively.
Parents in age group 21 to 25 years (OR 2, CI 1.07 – 3.63) and use of firewood /charcoal
(OR 4.23, CI 3.9 – 4.6) were risk factors for mild pneumonia. Unemployment (OR 2.7,
CI 2 – 3.2), age group 21 to 25 years (OR 4, CI 1.2 – 6.4) and use of firewood/charcoal
(OR 1.1, CI 1.02 – 1.26) were risk factors for severe pneumonia.
Conclusion: Pneumonia accounted for less number of admitted children compared
to previous study. Use of firewood or charcoal as source of fuel and mothers in age
group 21 – 25 years were independent risk factors for mild pneumonia and severe
pneumonia.
