Table 3.
Baseline sociodemographical and clinical characteristics of recruited children with severe forms of pneumonia
| Patient characteristics | All pneumonia frequency (%) or median (IQR) | Total number of patients with characteristic recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 195 (52.7%) | 370 |
| Age in months | 8.7 (5.2–15.5) | 354 |
| Age 2–11 months | 233 (65.8%) | 354 |
| 12–59 months | 121 (34.2%) | 191 |
| Duration of illness in days | 4 (2–6) | 365 |
| Wheeze within previous 12 months | 80 (23.0%) | 348 |
| Fever | 308 (85.6%) | 360 |
| Prior antibiotic treatment* | 233 (63.0%) | 370 |
| Previous hospital admission | 76 (21.1%) | 360 |
| Respiratory rate (breaths per minute) | ||
| 2–11 months | 68 (60–77) | 228 |
| 12–59 months | 63 (55–72) | 117 |
| Wheeze | 87 (23.6%) | 369 |
| Oxygen saturation <90% | 174 (50.7%) | 329 |
| Inability to drink | 126 (34.0%) | 369 |
| Central cyanosis | 24 (6.5%) | 367 |
| Grunting | 90 (24.4%) | 369 |
| Head nodding | 108 (29.4%) | 367 |
| Altered consciousness | 40 (10.8%) | 369 |
| Confirmed HIV infection† | 36 (10.6%) | 341 |
| Very severe pneumonia | 201 (54.3%) | 370 |
*
Patient-held documentation or history of specific, recent antibiotics received for the presenting episode of illness.
†
>18 months n = 5; <18 months and PCR positive n = 31.