title: Persistent pneumonia: Underlying cause and outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the causes and contributing factors of persistent pneumonia in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  41 cases with persistent pneumonia were investigated (biochemical, microbiological, histopathological, immunological and radiological tests) to find out the underlying cause.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 41 cases, 8 had pulmonary tuberculosis and 12 had Gram negative bacterial infections, 12 had aspiration due to gastroesophageal reflux disease or oil instillation, 3 had immunodeficiency due to HIV infection, 2 had congenital lung malformation, 2 had cardiac disorders and one had foreign body aspiration as causes of persistent pneumonia. The etiology could not be established in one case.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common underlying cause of persistent pneumonia were persistent infection followed by aspiration and acquired immunodeficiency.
authors: Dept of Pediatrics, JIPMER, Pondicherry, India.
authors: Manish
authors: M
authors: Kumar
authors: Niranjan
authors: N
authors: Biswal
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Bhuvaneswari
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Srinivasan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology