[Risk factors for a complicated disease course in children with measles admitted to a Philippine university hospital].

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the correlation of specific risk factors and measles complications in children admitted to a Philippine university medical centre.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Department of Pediatrics, De La Salle University Medical Center at Dasmarinas, a suburb of Manila, the Philippines.

METHOD: Information was collected on patients under 16 admitted for measles from January 1993 to May 1996, using a data collection form.

RESULTS

Of the 180 patients included in this study, 8 (4%) died during the hospital stay, and 172 left the hospital in good condition. 61 Patients (34%) had complicated measles (pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and (or) encephalitis). Age under 2 years and stay in the service ward (as opposed to the private ward) were significantly related to complicated measles. No significant relation was found for the presence of associated illnesses or malnutrition.

CONCLUSION

More severe complications were seen at an early age than in industrialised countries where the frequency appears to increase with age. Malnutrition possibly contributes less to severity of the disease than environmental factors such as hygiene and social class.