. A Cross Sectional Study on Children Attending the Chest Clinic in the Pediatric Hospital Ain Shams University

Abstract

Respiratory tract diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the developiug world . Respiratory tract infection is the commonest cause of illness in the childhood population , resulting in 4 - 15 million deaths per year under the age of 5 world wide ( Robert , 2000 )

This study iucluded tabulation of data collected from files of children attending the outpatient chest clinic, Pediatric hospital, Ain Shams University from 1990 to 1999 .

This study showed that majority of cases, 847 cases ( 70%) were asthmatic, 315 cases (26%) were tuberculous and 39 cases (4%) represent others chest disease .

The pediatric age group 1-3year is the predominant astlunatic group attendiug chest clinic, while iu tuberculous group it was 6 - 12 year . The majority of asthmatic children had an age of onset of astluna at 1-3 year , wllile in tuberculous children it was 6 - 12 year

48.1 % of astlunatic cases had(+ ve) family history, while 51.9% had (-ve ) family history of allergy. 39.7% had at least one parent who is a smoker.

The most common complaiut of asthmatic children was cough ( 28.7%) , while iu tuberculous children was (cough, dyspnea, repeated chest iufection ) .

The patients of chest clinic showed good compliance for therapy iu both asthmatic children ( 75.4%) and tuberculous children ( 87.6% ).

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Summary and Conclusion

Males were more affected than females in all chest diseases , however females were higher among the severe asthmatics .

55.6% of tuberculous children were vaccinated, also there is an ascending pattern of BCG vaccination along the last 10 years .

31.7% of tuberculous children had a (+ ve) family of tuberculosis.

37.5 %of tuberculous children were tuberculin(+ ve), while ( 62.5%) were tuberculin(- ve ).

The pulmonary tuberculosis represent about ( 36.2% ) ,while the most common type in extrapulmonary tuberculosis was tuberculous lymphadenitis ( 31.7%) The commonest type of tuberculous lymphadenitis was axillary lymphadenitis (45%).