Clinical Profile and Mortality in Children with Pneumonia

Background: Pneumonia is the leading killer in under-five children. Therefore, by identifying the danger signs, we are able to predict children who are at higher risk of mortality. The objective of the study is to identify the relationship between the clinical profile and mortality in children with pneumonia at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung. Methods: This was an analytical study with a retrospective case control approach using medical records with patient’s age limitation of 1–60 month. The study period started on January 1st 2010 and ended on December 31st 2011. All types of pneumonia included whereas congenital anomalies, immunocompromised and Down’s syndrome patients were excluded in this study. Data were presented as frequency distribution. Results: During the study period, there were 653 children under age of 5 with pneumonia. Only 56 subjects met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty-eight patients with pneumonia were cured and 28 died. Based on the phi’s coefficient, tachycardia (α-value = 0.019) and hepatomegaly (α-value = 0.001) were significant predictors of death and based on the Mantel-Haenszel analysis, hepatomegaly (OR=9.62, CI 95% 2.349–39.35) was significant as a risk for mortality. Inability to drink, cyanosis, tachypnea, grunting, vomiting, convulsion, and unconsciousness were not related to mortality. Conclusion: Tachycardia and hepatomegaly have a significant relationship with mortality in under-five children with pneumonia