Host factors and pneumonia in hospitalised children.

Acute respiratory infections (ARI) account for 20-24% of childhood deaths in India. The present study investigated the host related risk factors in the outcome of pneumonia in 127 hospitalised children between the ages of 2 months and 5 years. The case fatality rate in the study was 11.8%. Presence of malnutrition is a significantly important factor for both increased duration of pneumonia and fatal outcome. Other factors for increased pneumonia mortality include the presence of associated illness and the severity of the pneumonia.