Prevalence of Pneumonia in children under 2 years of age in the Public Hospital of Paraguay, during October 2023 to January 2024

Abstract

Introduction: Pneumonia is an acute condition that causes inflammation in the lungs, affecting the alveoli. It requires adequate attention, since factors such as viral or bacterial load, living conditions, diet and maternal care can increase children's predisposition to develop it. Pneumonia can cause severe lung damage and, in extreme cases, be fatal.Objectives: Determine the prevalence of pneumonia in children under 2 years of age at the Loma Pyta maternal and child hospital during the months of October 2023 to January 2024. Materials and methods: Observational descriptive cross-sectional, retrospective. Accessible population: breastfeeding patients who attend the Loma Pyta Maternal and Child Hospital, from October 2023 to January 2024. 
Results and discussion: The prevalence was higher in females (61%) and in children from 16 to 19 months of age (36%). The majority of patients came from the urban area (60%), related to the proximity At the healthcare center, the most frequent signs and symptoms were fever (100%), cough (93.9%), irritability (80.8%) and dyspnea (78%). The most prevalent pathogen was Streptococcus pneumoniae (80%). .The predominant treatment was antibiotics. Limitations included: a small sample, lack of analysis of risk factors such as breastfeeding, smoking, daycare attendance, low weight or nutritional status.
Conclusion: It was possible to determine the prevalence of pneumonia in children under 2 years of age from October 2023 to January 2024, identifying the sociodemographic and clinical data, describing the signs and symptoms of pneumonia and identifying the most frequent agent of pneumonia was streptococcus pneumoniae. , more studies are required to draw conclusions on the epidemiology of pediatric pneumonia.