Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Children with Pneumonia -Cross- Sectional Study

Pneumonia remains the leading single cause of childhood mortality. It’s associated with several complications and the commonest metabolic complication being hyponatremia. Studies done in the western countries have reported a high prevalence of hyponatremia, an indicator of disease severity .No study has been done to evaluate the prevalence of hyponatremia in children in kerala Objectives : The objectives of this study were; 1, Determine the prevalence of hyponatremia in children aged two months to twelve years admitted with pneumonia at TDMC Alappuzha. 2, Describe selected sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of children with hyponatremia. 3,Determine the association of hyponatremia and severity of pneumonia. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at TDMC ALAPPUZHA on children aged 2months to 12years admitted with pneumonia. Those who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. History and physical examination was done to confirm diagnosis and classify the severity of pneumonia. A 2ml blood sample was then withdrawn from the patient and taken to the laboratory for electrolyte analysis. Results: A total of 100 pediatric patients admitted at TDMC were reviewed. Prevalence of hyponatremia was 6% %( 6/100).. Hyponatremia was significantly associated with ICU admission(p=0.009).hyponatremia was significantly associated with increased number of ICU days(p=0.001).There was a no significant association between severity of pneumonia and hyponatremia ( p=0.083).No association could be obtained between factors like acute phase reactants,age,sex,choice for higher antibiotics Conclusion: Hyponatremia at admission is more associated with icu admission . .There is a no high prevalence of hyponatremia in children admitted with pneumonia at TDMC. Hyponatremia is not an indicator of severe