A STUDY OF RISK FACTORS FOR ACUTE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION AND THEIR EFFECT ON OUTCOME IN CHILDREN AGED 1 MONTH TO 5 YEARS

BACKGROUND Acute Lower Respiratory Infection (ALRI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in under five children in developing countries. There is a need to explore the association between easily modifiable risk factors and occurrence of ALRI in developing countries to bring down the incidence of ALRI. This study is taken up to identify the various risk factors for acute lower respiratory tract infection and their effect on severity and outcome in under five children. METHODS A total of 275 children of age group 1 month to 5 years were studied for various risk factors. Severity of pneumonia and duration of hospital stay were noted in each case. RESULTS The significant risk factors for children with pneumonia for very severe pneumonia and prolonged hospital stay were age <12 months, overcrowding, low socioeconomic status, use of cow dung/mud flooring, biomass fuel usage, passive smoking, LBW, partial breast feeding and no breast feeding, partial immunization, PEM and anaemia. CONCLUSION The present study identified many modifiable risk factors for ALRI, which had significant effect on outcome. These risk factors can be tackled through effective health education of the community and appropriate initiatives taken by the government.