Clinical, sub–clinical characteristics and their relevance to pneumonia at Vinh University Medical Hospital

Abstract

Objectives: Community-acquired pneumonia is an acute bacterial infection of the lungs that causes damage to the lung parenchyma, accompanied by symptoms such as cough, difficulty breathing, wheezing, rapid breathing, chest retractions, or chest indrawing. Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia is one of the leading causes of illness and death in children worldwide. Research Objective: To investigate the characteristics and correlation between clinical features of patients and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia. Method: The study was conducted on patients at the Pediatrics Department – Vinh University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital using a cross-sectional descriptive method based on retrospective medical record reviews. Results: The disease incidence in male children was higher than in females, and the younger the age group, the higher the risk of developing community-acquired pneumonia. Some common symptoms include cough, difficulty breathing, wheezing, the presence of crackles and rales, chest indrawing, and nasal flaring. WBC and CRP levels tend to increase, and lung damage is often visible on X-ray images. Some respiratory infections, such as ear-nose-throat infections, often accompany community-acquired pneumonia. Factors such as the 2–12 month age group, tonsillitis, nasal flaring, and chest indrawing were associated with severe pneumonia. Conclusion: Community-acquired pneumonia is a common bacterial infection in children. The study examined several general characteristics and developed a predictive model for factors related to the severity of pneumonia in children.