Pneumonia em crianças e adolescentes indígenas internados em Brasília-DF, Brasil: estudo de casos.

Abstract

Introduction: the main objective of this study is to describe the demographic, clinical, radiological and laboratorial aspects of the pneumonias in hospitalized indigenous children and adolescents. Methodology: Observational, retrospective study with 60 children and adolescents’ clinic files reviewed. Their ages ranged from newborn to nineteen years old. Fifty nine of them were diagnosed with community pneumonia and one with intra-hospitalary pneumonia, which was excluded of the study. They were admitted as inpatients in the Pediatrics or Adult Clinics of the Hospital Universitário de Brasília (HUB), Distrito Federal, between 1991 and 2000. Results: The statistical data shows that 91.53% of the patients were under five years old, and the median age was eleven months. Xavante etnia was observed in 54.24% of the patients; 89.83% were from Mato Grosso State. The environmental living conditions were inadequate in 25.42% of the cases and the housing type most mentioned was the straw structure homes, accounting for 14.71% of the cases. 50.85% of the patients were malnourished. 25.42% of the patients were exclusively breast fed until the end of their four months.There was report of previous use of antimicrobials in 32.20% of the patients, the most common radiological pattern was consolidation in 32.20%; penicillin was used in the initial therapy in 64.41%; the median in total of antimicrobial therapy was nine days.The antimicrobial change was necessary in 27.12% of the patients; 81.36% were admitted for impatient treatment for up to twenty days, the therapy response was satisfatory in 96.61%. No deaths occured. Conclusion: Although it has been observed clinical and radiographic more serious conditions, it was concluded that the therapeutic answers were favorable in all the cases of pneumonia.