Recurrent pneumonia in children: clinical profile and underlying causes.
OBJECTIVE
To study the clinical profile and describe the predisposing causes of recurrent pneumonia in Indian children.


METHODS
The clinical details and the investigations of children presenting with recurrent pneumonia to the paediatric chest clinic services of a tertiary care centre in northern India were reviewed.


RESULTS
Seventy children (44M, 26F) presented with recurrent pneumonia over a period of 5 y. Based on the clinical features and the results of the investigations, underlying illness could be identified in 59 children (84%). The most frequent underlying cause for recurrent pneumonia was recurrent aspiration (24.2%), followed by immunodeficiency (15.7%), asthma (14.2%) and structural anomalies (8.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
The underlying cause of recurrent pneumonia was identified in more than 80% of children. Recurrent aspirations were the most common cause.
Lodha
R
R
Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India.
Puranik
M
M
Natchu
U C M
UC
Kabra
S K
SK
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000453:epidemiology; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies