CLINICAL COURSE AND PATTERNS OF COMORBIDITIES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA

To assess the clinical manifestations and patterns of comorbidities in preschool children with community-acquired pneumonia according to preschool attendance. Materials and methods: A descriptive comparative analysis of data from 65 hospitalized children was conducted. Group 1 comprised 42 children who attended preschool institutions, while Group 2 included 23 children who did not. Clinical symptoms, anthropometric measurements, and comorbidities were assessed.Results: Cough was reported in 39 (92.9%) children in Group 1 and 20 (87.0%) in Group 2; dyspnea in 39 (92.9%) and 19 (82.6%); and fever in 34 (81.0%) and 13 (56.5%), respectively. Chronic ear, nose, and throat diseases were identified in 25 (59.5%) and 10 (43.5%) children, while allergic diseases were found in 20 (47.6%) and 13 (56.5%), respectively. Conclusion: Cough and dyspnea were the predominant symptoms in this hospitalized sample, and a substantial proportion of children had comorbidities. Between-group differences are reported descriptively and require confirmation through verification of the primary data and statistical analysis.