[Underlying causes of recurrent pneumonia].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relative frequency and describe the predisposing causes of recurrent pneumonia in infants and children aged between 1 month and 14 years.


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of a tertiary care pediatric hospital covering a 10-year period, from January 1994 through December 2003. Children with cystic fibrosis were not included in the analysis. Recurrent pneumonia was defined as at least two pneumonia episodes in a 1 year period or at least three episodes over a lifetime.


RESULTS
Of 1644 children hospitalized with pneumonia, 106 (6.4 %) met the criteria for recurrent pneumonia. An underlying cause was identified in 92 patients (86.7 %). Of these, the underlying cause was diagnosed prior to pneumonia in 67 (72.8 %), during the first episode in 12 (13 %) and during recurrence in 13 (14.1 %). Underlying causes included asthma in 28 patients (30.4 %), congenital cardiac defects in 27 patients (29.3 %), aspiration syndrome in 25 patients (27.1 %), immune disorder in nine patients (9.7 %), pulmonary anomalies in two patients (2.1 %), and anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia in one patient (1 %).


CONCLUSIONS
Recurrent pneumonia occurred in 6.4 % of all children hospitalized for pneumonia. The underlying cause was identified in 86.7 % of the children. The most common causes were asthma, congenital cardiac defects, and aspiration syndrome.
Cabezuelo Huerta
G
G
Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario La Fe, Valencia, España.
Vidal Micó
S
S
Abeledo Gómez
A
A
Frontera Izquierdo
P
P
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index