A Cross Sectional Study of Hyponatremia in Paediatric Patients with Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

Introduction: Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is among the serious health problems specifically in less than 5 years of age needing hospitalization and attributes to 30 % of deaths yearly worldwide especially due to pneumonia as the leading cause. LRTI is infection listed below the level of the throat and might be taken to include: Bronchiolitis, Bronchitis, Pneumonia and empyema. It is swelling of the airways/pulmonary tissue, due to viral or bacterial infection, below the level of the larynx. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and Pediatric ward at Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. All children presenting with clinical symptoms suggestive of acute lower respiratory tract infections were evaluated in detail in hospital on IPD basis. Informed consent was taken. After an informed consent (Parent or guardian) in children, a detailed history was taken, and physical examination was done. Information on socio-demographic variables including child’s age, gender and also symptoms of acute lower respiratory tract infection, such as the presence and duration of fever associated with chills, cough, nasal discharge, breathlessness or fast breathing and abdominal pain was taken. To know the severity of acute lower respiratory tract infection history of symptoms like grunting, noisy respiration, chest pain was elaborated. Results: 170 cases of lower respiratory tract infection (16%) of total 925 admissions during study period were included in the study. Out of the 170 cases of lower respiratory tract infection, 118 (69.4%) had pneumonia, 32 (18.8%) had bronchiolitis, 16 (9.4%) had wheeze associated lower respiratory tract infection and 4 (2.35%) presented with acute CROUP syndrome. The prevalence of hyponatremia in lower respiratory tract infection was found to be 42.3% in our study. Conclusion: The prevalence of hyponatremia in pediatric patients with lower respiratory tract infection was found to be 42.3%. Hyponatremia was more common in pneumonia group (91.66%) as compared to the nonpneumonia group (8.33%).Severe hyponatremia was seen more commonly with increase in severity of pneumonia; so, diagnosing hyponatremia in early stage and correcting by appropriate interventions plays an important role in outcome of children suffering from pneumonia.