Analysis of risk factors of lobar pneumonia in children

Purpose The incidence of lobar pneumonia in children has rapidly increased in recent years.This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between clinical manifestation,laboratory examination,imageology examination of lobar pneumonia and its prognosis.Methods This retrospective study included 164 hospitalised patients younger than 14 years old with lobar pneumonia treated between January 2008 and December 2009.Medical records including medical history,clinical signs,radiographic studies,and laboratory data(white blood cell count,C-reactive protein,MP-Ab,culture,et al) were collected and analyzed.The duration of fever and hospitalization were regarded as objective measurements of recovery.Multiple regression analysis was performed to demonstrate the risk factors of lobar pneumonia with poor prognosis.Results The proportion of children with lobar pneumonia in children with pneumonia increased dramatically from 4.2% 2008 to 14.4% 2009.Analysis revealed the presence of elevated C-reactive protein level(120 mg/L),pleural effusion were independent predictors of lobar pneumonia with poor prognosis.Prolonged fever was a common clinical feature of hospitalized children with lobar pneumonia.The proportion of mycoplasma infection in lobar pneumonia increased obviously.Conclusion The severity of lobar pneumonia is difficult to judge on clinical symptoms at the time of admission.The presence of the above risk factors can help in the early diagnosis of lobar pneumonia with poor prognosis.