https://doi.org/10.5812/pedinfect.9075

Common Infections Among Disabled Children Admitted to Hospital

authors:

avatar Alireza Fahimzad 1 , avatar Delara Babaie 2 , avatar Javad Ghoroubi 3 , avatar Ghazal Zahed 4 , avatar Sedigheh Rafiei Tabatabaei 1 , *

Pediatric Infections Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, sr_tabatabaei@yahoo.com, IR Iran
Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Hazrate Rasool Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, IR Iran
Department of Surgery, Mofid Children Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, IR Iran
Department of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Mofid Children Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, IR Iran
Archives of Pediatric Infectious Diseases: Vol.1, issue 2; 71-74
published online: July 15, 2013
article type: Research Article
received: November 10, 2012
accepted: December 22, 2012

how to cite: Fahimzad A, Babaie D, Ghoroubi J, Zahed G, Rafiei Tabatabaei S. Common Infections Among Disabled Children Admitted to Hospital. Arch Pediatr Infect Dis. 2013;1(2): 71-74. https://doi.org/10.5812/pedinfect.9075.

Abstract

Background:

Disability is a relatively common problem in children. The pattern of admission in these children and their common infections may differ from other children because of their special disabilities.

Objectives:

We aimed to determine common infectious diseases resulting in admission of these children to our hospital.

Patients and Methods:

Between September 2006 and September 2007, 60 disabled children aged between 4 months and 15 years were admitted to infectious ward of Mofid children hospital Tehran, Iran. A questionnaire was filled at the time of admission, containing particular details of their recent complaint. They were completely examined and the final diagnosis was established at the time of discharge.

Results:

In this study 25 (42%) boys and 35 (58%) girls aged from 4 to168 months were included. The patients were divided practically into three groups: 21 patients (35%) with physical or developmental disabilities, 8 (13%) patients with mental or behavioral disabilities, and 31 (52%) patients with both developmental and mental disabilities. The common diseases among these children were lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in 24 patients (40%), urinary tract infections (UTI) in 8 patients (13.3%), and nonspecific infections in 9 patients (15%). Dental caries and periodontal problems were significantly higher in children having both mental and developmental disabilities this correlation was similar between different types of disability and skeletal deformity (P = 0.006). Children having both mental and developmental disabilities were admitted more than children with either of those disabilities (P = 0.08).

Conclusions:

Lower respiratory tract infections were the most common reasons for admission of these children in our study, but we found no significant correlation between the type of disability and one special infectious disease. We need more prospective studies to complete our findings.

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