Predictive risk factors for complicated pneumonia in Malaysian children

Abstract

Aim To investigate baseline characteristics associated with complicated community‐acquired pneumonia (CAPc) in Malaysian children. CAPc, such as pleural effusion and/or empyema, is on the rise, especially in Southeast Asian children, and the reasons for this are unknown. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on all children aged 2–16 years who were admitted to the University Malaya Medical Centre with community‐acquired pneumonia between 2012 and 2014. Results In this study, of the 343 children, 58 (17%) developed CAPc. Chinese ethnicity ( P < 0.001), reduced breastfeeding duration ( P = 0.003), not receiving outpatient antibiotic ( P < 0.001) and exposure to parental smoking ( P < 0.001) were identified as risk factors for CAPc. Markedly increased respiratory rate ( P = 0.021) and thrombocytosis ( P < 0.001) were noted as the clinical parameters for CAPc. Conclusion This study identifies some modifiable risk to reduce the burden of pneumonia complications.