title: Hospitalisation of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory for lower respiratory illness in the first year of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the epidemiology of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) and bronchiectasis in Northern Territory Indigenous infants hospitalised in the first year of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  A historical cohort study constructed from the NT Hospital Discharge Dataset and the NT Immunisation Register.
  
  
  METHODS
  All NT resident Indigenous infants, born 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2004, admitted to NT public hospitals and followed up to 12 months of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incidence of ALRI and bronchiectasis (ICD-10-AM codes) and radiologically confirmed pneumonia (World Health Organization protocol).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data on 9295 infants, 8498 child-years of observation and 15 948 hospitalised episodes of care were analysed. ALRI incidence was 426.7 episodes per 1000 child-years (95% CI, 416.2-437.2). Incidence rates were two times higher (relative risk, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.98-2.27) for infants in Central Australia compared with those in the Top End. The median age at first admission for an ALRI was 4.6 months (interquartile range, 2.6-7.3). Bronchiolitis accounted for most of the disease burden, with a rate of 227 per 1000 child-years. The incidence of first diagnosis of bronchiectasis was 1.18 per 1000 child-years (95% CI, 0.60-2.16). One or more key comorbidities were present in 1445 of the 3227 (44.8%) episodes of care for ALRI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rates of ALRI and bronchiectasis in NT Indigenous infants are excessive, with early onset, frequent repeat episodes, and a high prevalence of comorbidities. These high rates of disease demand urgent attention.
authors.affiliation: Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia. k.ogrady@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Kerry-Ann F
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: O'Grady
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Torzillo
authors.forename: Anne B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015876:Northern Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011859:Radiography