Assessing the Landscape of Pediatric Respiratory Disease: A Retrospective Community-Driven Analysis

Abstract

Background: Children's health and healthcare systems are heavily burdened by pediatric respiratory illnesses worldwide. Comprehending the frequency and trends of these ailments is crucial for efficacious public health initiatives. Objective: Determining the trends and prevalence of respiratory infections in pediatric patients was the main goal of this study. Methodology: This two-year retrospective observational study was conducted to investigate the respiratory illnesses in children aged 6 months to 10 years. Data collection employed a specialized Performa focused on medical records, ensuring accurate information. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 27, included quantitative measures of mean and standard deviation, as well as qualitative assessments of frequencies and percentages, and chi-square tests. Results: The demographic and socioeconomic analysis of 22,374 pediatric patients at Swat Medical College Emergency Department showed a mean age of 7.29 years, with 49.26% (n=11023) of the patients being male and 50.74% (n=11351) being female. Pneumonia was the most common respiratory illness (n=8342; 37.3%), with viral URTI (n=4669; 20.9%) and bronchiolitis (n=4328; 19.3%) following closely behind. Notably, 13% (n=2908) of patients were treated and released from the outside station, 15% (n=3356) got care in the resuscitation chamber, and 72% (n=16110) of patients received care inside. The Chi-Square statistic of 210.00 with a p-value of 0.2344 and 196 degrees of freedom indicates no significant association between the disease and the frequency of occurrence. Conclusion: The majority of respiratory illnesses need indoor care, and pneumonia remains the leading cause of pediatric visits. This underscores the need for more emergency treatment facilities.