title: A community-based study of acute respiratory infections among preschool children in Syria.
abstract: A longitudinal community-based study of the epidemiology of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children less than 5 years old was carried out in a low income peri-urban area of Syria. A total of 1030 children were followed up by weekly morbidity surveillance for a period of 24 weeks, starting September 1989. The results revealed that, on average, a child suffered 3.4 episodes of ARI per 100 child-days at risk. The average prevalence of ARI was 23 per cent of time of observation. The peak age-specific incidence occurred in children 6-12 months old for cough/cold, and in children 0-5 months for pneumonia. Male children experienced higher incidence and prevalence of ARI. The most frequently reported symptoms were nasal discharge and cough.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University, Syria.
authors.forename: H N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Bashour
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Webber
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013383:Suburban Population; D013593:Syria / Q000453:epidemiology