Risk factors associated with pneumonia in children under five years of age in El Salvador

Abstract

Introduction. Pneumonia is an acute respiratory disease known as one of the main causes of morbidity in the world and is the leading cause of infant mortality globally. Objective. Identify the risk factors associated with community-acquired pneumonia in patients under 5 years of age admitted to Hospital Nacional San Rafael in 2022. Methodology. Study of case types and controls, a 1:2. A case was defined as a child under 5 years of age admitted with clinical and radiological criteria of community-acquired pneumonia, and controls as children under 5 years of age admitted for causes other than community-acquired pneumonia. The sample size was determined by simple random sampling. An invariant analysis was carried out with frequencies and proportions, and a bivariate analysis was carried out with the chi-square method. Results. The study included 63 cases and 126 controls. A proportion of cases of 59 % (37/63) was found between 1 year and 4 years, with a median of 14 months, and a proportion of 52 % (33/63) in females. Statistical association was found in the factors of history of prematureness (p =0.01; OR 4.40; 95 % CI 1.27-5.38); delayed growth (p =0.02; OR 2.12; 95 % CI: 1.1-4.40; overcrowding (p =0.04; OR 1.96; 95 % CI:1.06-3.61), exposure to tobacco smoke (p =0.00; OR 3.20; 95 % CI:1.51–6.74). Conclusion. Risk factors associated with community-acquired pneumonia included premature birth, delayed growth, overcrowding at home, and exposure to tobacco smoke.