title: Acute respiratory infection and malnutrition among children below 5 years of age in Erbil governorate, Iraq.
abstract: Malnutrition is an important risk factor for acute respiratory infection (ARI), which is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among children aged < 5 years. This case-control study aimed to determine the relationship between nutritional status and ARI among young children aged < 5 years attending a teaching hospital in Erbil, Iraq. Children admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of ARI over a4-month period in 2006-2007 (n = 190) were compared with a control group without ARI (n = 192). Significantly more ARI cases were male (64.7% versus 53.1%) and the meanwas lower [15.6 (SD 15.4) versus 26.4 (SD 19.7) monthsl. Weight and height were lower in the ARI group but there was no significant difference in weight-for-age or in height-for-age. There was a significant association between ARI and indicators of malnutrition according to the Gomez and Welcome anthropometric criteria but not the Waterlow criteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Medical College, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq. dulair_chalabi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: D A K
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Chalabi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D017677:Age Distribution; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007493:Iraq / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution