RISK FACTORS FOR ACUTE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION IN 1-5 YEAR OLD CHILDREN- A CASE CONTROL STUDY

Abstract

Background: In children under five years old, acute lower respiratory tract infections are a leading cause of death. Finding the modifiable risk factors for severe ALRTI can significantly lessen the burden of ALRTI.
Aim: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the risk factors for acute lower respiratory tract infections in children younger than five years old.
Methods: The World Health Organization's (WHO) case definition of ALRTI was used in this investigation. Participants in the research who visited the paediatric outpatient department for vaccinations and those who had an ALRTI acted as controls. The possible risk variables in cases and controls were recorded using a premade organised proforma. Results: 256 pediatric subjects—101 cases and 155 control subjects—were evaluated for the current investigation. Significant risk factors for ALRTI were found to include a family history of the disease, improper immunisation age, cooking with non-LP gas, severe malnutrition, upper respiratory tract infections in siblings, and not nursing. ALRTI is not significantly influenced by the following non-risk factors: kind of housing, insufficient calorie intake, anaemia, number of children at home, parental age, education level, and gender of the child.
Conclusion: The current study comes to the following conclusions: severe malnutrition, upper respiratory tract infections in siblings, improper immunisation age, cooking on non-LPG media, family history of ALRTI, and not nursing were all important risk factors for ALRTI that needed to be watched out for.