Table 1. Baseline characteristics, chest radiograph study of children hospitalized with severe pneumonia, Uganda, 2017.
| Parameter at admission | All children (n = 375) | Children with mild hypoxaemiaa (n = 301) | Children with severe hypoxaemiaa (n = 74) | P-value for difference between mild and severe hypoxaemia groups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in months, median (IQR) | 9 (4 to 21) | 9 (4 to 20) | 8 (2 to 25) | 0.575 |
| Male sex, % (no./n) | 55.7 (209/375) | 57.4 (173/301) | 48.6 (36/74) | 0.171 |
| History of fever, % (no./n) | 88.8 (333/375) | 89.4 (269/301) | 86.5 (64/74) | 0.481 |
| Respiratory rate in breaths/min, median (IQR) | 60 (52 to 68) | 58 (52 to 67) | 64 (55 to 72) | < 0.001 |
| Tachypnoea, % (no./n)b | 92.8 (348/375) | 91.7 (276/301) | 97.3 (72/74) | 0.095 |
| Chest indrawing, % (no./n) | 92.5 (347/375) | 91.4 (275/301) | 97.3 (72/74) | 0.082 |
| Clinically cyanosed, % (no./n) | 2.7 (10/375) | 1.0 (3/301) | 9.5 (7/74) | < 0.001 |
| Crepitations, % (no./n)c | 77.3 (289/374) | 77.3 (232/300) | 77.0 (57/74) | 0.955 |
| Wheeze, % (no./n) | 35.7 (134/375) | 20.9 (63/301) | 23.0 (17/74) | 0.316 |
| Compensated shock, % (no./n)d | 34.7 (130/375) | 31.9 (96/301) | 45.9 (34/74) | 0.023 |
| Severe pallor, % (no./n) | 8.5 (32/375) | 6.3 (19/301) | 17.6 (13/74) | 0.079 |
| Vomiting or diarrhoea, % (no./n) | 29.1 (109/375) | 31.2 (94/301) | 20.3 (15/74) | 0.063 |
| Sunken eyes, % (no./n) | 1.9 (7/375) | 1.3 (4/301) | 4.1 (3/74) | 0.121 |
| Reduced skin turgor, % (no./n) | 1.9 (7/375) | 2.0 (6/301) | 1.4 (1/74) | 0.715 |
| Altered consciousness, % (no./n)e | 2.9 (11/375) | 2.0 (6/301) | 6.8 (5/74) | 0.030 |
| Mid upper arm circumference in cm, median (IQR) | 14 (13 to 15) | 14 (13 to 15) | 13.(12 to 15) | 0.055 |
| Haemoglobin level in g/dL, median (IQR) | 10.3 (8.9 to 11.7) | 10.4 (9.1 to 11.6) | 9.3 (7.0 to 11.7) | 0.001 |
| Severe anaemia, % (no./n)c,f | 6.4 (24/374) | 5.6 (17/301) | 9.6 (7/73) | 0.079 |
| White blood cell count in cells/µL ( × 103), median (IQR) | 11.9 (8.9 to 17.1) | 11.9 (9.0 to 16.6) | 12.4 (8.3 to 19.5) | 0.650 |
| Leucocytosis, % (no./n)g | 56.8 (213/375) | 56.8 (171/301) | 56.8 (42/74) | 0.993 |
| HIV infection, % (no./n)c | 1.6 (6/369) | 1.0 (3/295) | 4.1 (3/74) | 0.993 |
| Malaria detected on rapid diagnostic test, % (no./n)c | 9.1 (34/372) | 9.7 (29/299) | 6.8 (5/73) | 0.717 |
| Malaria detected on microscopy slide, % (no./n)c | 4.8 (18/373) | 4.3 (13/300) | 6.8 (5/73) | 0.734 |
| Bacteraemia, % (no./n)c | 3.5 (13/374) | 3.0 (9/301) | 5.5 (4/73) | 0.298 |
| Hypoglycaemia, % (no./n)h | 2.1 (8/375) | 1.7 (5/301) | 4.1 (3/74) | 0.202 |
| Hyperlactataemia, % (no./n)i | 7.2 (27/375) | 5.6 (17/301) | 13.5 (10/74) | 0.019 |
| Preadmission antibiotics, % (no./n)c | 58.8 (218/371) | 57.4 (171/298) | 64.4 (47/73) | 0.128 |
| Hospital stay in days, median (IQR) | 4 (3 to 6) | 4 (3 to 5) | 5 (4 to 7) | 0.001 |
| Death within 28 days, % (no./n)c | 3.0 (11/372) | 2.3 (7/299) | 5.5 (4/73) | 0.156 |
IQR: interquartile range; HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; SpO2: peripheral oxygen saturation.
a We defined mild hypoxaemia as a peripheral oxygen saturation of 80% or above but below 92% and severe hypoxaemia as an SpO2 < 80%.
b We defined tachypnoea as a respiratory rate ≥ 60 breaths/min for children aged under 2 months, ≥ 50 breaths/min for those aged over 2 months and under 1 year, ≥ 40 breaths/min for those aged 1 year or more and under 6 years, and ≥ 30 breaths/min for those aged ≥ 6 years.
c Data were either missing, invalid or not recorded for some children.
d We defined compensated shock as one or more signs of impaired perfusion: (i) capillary refill time ≥ 2 s; (ii) a temperature gradient on limbs; (iii) a weak radial pulse; or (iv) severe tachycardia.
e Altered consciousness was determined according to voice and pain responses on the AVPU scale.
f We defined severe anaemia as a haemoglobin concentration < 5 g/dL.
g We defined leucocytosis as a white blood cell count > 11 × 103 cells/µL.
h We defined hypoglycaemia as a blood sugar concentration < 3 mmol/L.
I We defined hyperlactataemia as a blood lactate concentration > 5 mmol/L.