Acute respiratory tract infections in children. A three-year follow-up from birth.
Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in small children account for a considerable proportion of health care expenditure. In 113 children, followed for the first three years of life, we studied the frequency of acute RTI and its relationship to the factors: type of day-care, age, sex, family size, living conditions, allergic predisposition, family smoking habits, and season. To elucidate the influence of age, the frequency of acute RTI and its relationship to type of day-care was longitudinally studied on a quarterly basis. The frequency of acute RTI diagnosis increased gradually from birth culminating in a peak at the beginning of the second year. Besides age and season, type of day-care was the only factor studied to show any relationship with the frequency of acute RTI diagnosis. Up to the age of almost 2 1/2 years, children attending day-care centres accounted for more RTI diagnoses than did those in home care or family day-care, categories with comparable frequencies.
Harsten
G
G
Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Prellner
K
K
Heldrup
J
J
Kalm
O
O
Kornfält
R
R
D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology