Table 1.
Characteristics of African American and Caucasian children with community-acquired pneumonia
| Caucasians | African Americans | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs, median (range) | 4.0 (18 days–17.9 yrs) | 2.1 (14 days–18.9 yrs) |
| Gender, n (%) | ||
| Male | 165 (54) | 249 (53) |
| Comorbid conditions, n (%) | ||
| Asthma | 46 (15) | 97 (20) |
| Bronchopulmonary dysplasiaa | 6 (2) | 10 (2) |
| Neurological disordersb | 24 (8) | 36 (8) |
| Sickle cell disease | 0 (0) | 57 (12) |
| Identified pathogensc, n (%) | ||
| Bacteriald | 56 (18) | 40 (8) |
| Virale | 22 (7) | 43 (9) |
| Fungalf | 4 (1) | 5 (1) |
| Mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 42 (14) | 43 (9) |
| Acute lung injuryg, n (%) | 32 (11) | 29 (6) |
| Mortality, n (%) | 2 (0.7) | 3 (0.6) |
History of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (none of these subjects were on oxygen therapy at home);
neurological disorders included seizures and/or developmental delay;
some patients had more than one identified pathogen;
bacterial pathogens identified by culture of blood, deep tracheal suctioning sample, or pleural fluid; mycoplasma pneumoniae was identified by positive serology; 253 Caucasians and 416 African Americans were tested;
viral pathogens were identified by direct fluorescent antibody staining or polymerase chain reaction of samples obtained by nasal swab, 89 Caucasians and 113 African Americans were tested;
253 Caucasians and 416 African Americans were tested.
n = 304 for Caucasian children and 474 for African American children.