Clinical and Demographical Characteristics of Young Infant Pneumonia— Observations from a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Pneumonia remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among young infants, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to explore the demographic and clinical characteristics of young infants diagnosed with pneumonia in a tertiary care hospital. Methods & Naterials: This prospective study was conducted at Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January 2019 to December 2020. Young infants with pneumonia admitted to Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital were considered as the study population. A total of 210 patients were included in this study by simple random sampling technique. Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 23.0). Result: The study examined 210 young infants with pneumonia, revealing a predominance of cases in the 29-59 day age group (53.3%), with a higher proportion of males (57.1%). Common clinical symptoms included difficulty in breathing (100%), inability to feed (81.9%), and fever (64.3%). Physical examination findings showed that most infants were dyspneic (95.2%), had severe chest indrawing (94.8%), and exhibited elevated body temperature (59.5%). Conclusion: This study provides important insights into the clinical and demographic profiles of young infants with pneumonia, shedding light on the disease's presentation in a tertiary care environment. The majority of the infants were aged 29-59 days, with a predominance of male subjects. The common clinical symptoms included difficulty in breathing, inability to feed, and fever, with respiratory distress being a hallmark feature of the condition.