Impact of variation of Pediatric Body Mass Index on Lower Respiratory Tract Infection of Children

Abstract

Our scope was to detect the difference in course of the disease & prognosis between four groups of patients through detailed comparative study and to detect the effect of an abnormal body weight on the child health, disease prognosis and its impact on family and community .Also, we aimed to increase the awareness about over weight, obesity and underweight as a growing health problems affect child's life. So, correction of child weight and healthy life style including proper nutrition &adequate physical activities is an important factor for reducing child's morbidities and mortalities in addition to reducing health care cost and economic burden on families and communities. The study was conducted on 138 pediatric patients diagnosed with pediatric pneumonia all are recruited from inpatient units, Children's hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University with age range from 2 up to 14 yrs with a mean age of 7.8 years classified to four groups: Healthy weight group: including patients with healthy or average BMI (from 5th to below 85th percentile). Underweight group: including patients with below average BMI (below 5th percentile). Over weight group: including patients with high average BMI (from 85th to below 95th percentile). Obese group: including patients with above average BMI (Above 95th percentile). All children undergone a detailed history taking stressed on dietetic history, daily life style and physical activities, Careful physical examination including complete anthropometric measures including weight, height, mid-arm circumference and skin fold thickness, Calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI) of each child and determination of the centile which child fall in, and Interpretation of Child's BMI, Detailed chest examination for all signs of lower respiratory tract infections including inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation, Chest X-ray for diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections, Laboratory tests at initial diagnosis and follow up including: CBC, ESR, CRP and blood culture, Close follow up and determination of patients who are at risk for development of complications or need of mechanical ventilation, And determination of total cost of admission and treatment and economic burden on the family and community .