Evaluation of the frequency of congenital heart disease in children with recurrent or persistent pneumonia

Abstract

Abstract Aim Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in young children and infants, especially in developing countries. Many pathologies are involved in the etiology of recurrent and persistent pneumonia. This study aims to determine the underlying congenital heart disease in recurrent or persistent pneumonia and to present the data from our region to the literature. Material and Method: Our study included 102 patients with recurrent or persistent pneumonia between June 2019 and February 2021. The number of pneumonia episodes, echocardiographic evaluations, physical examination, imaging, and laboratory findings were evaluated. Results Of the 102 patients in our study, 69 (67.6%) were male, and the mean age was 24.36 ± 32 (3-180) months. All patients met the criteria for recurrent pneumonia, and 55 patients (54%) met the criteria for persistent pneumonia. Congenital heart disease was found in 7.8% of patients with recurrent pneumonia and 23.6% with persistent pneumonia. Congenital heart disease was detected in 22 (21.5%) patients. The most common congenital heart disease was isolated Atrial Septal Defect (7.8%) and isolated Ventricular Septal Defect (4.9%). 59.1% of patients with congenital heart disease had a murmur on cardiac auscultation compared to 1.3% without CHD (p:<0.001). Body weight Z score was significantly lower in the group with congenital heart disease compared to the group without congenital heart disease (p:0.04). The incidence of congenital heart disease was significantly higher in girls with recurrent pneumonia than in boys with recurrent pneumonia (p:0.05). Conclusion Congenital heart disease is highly prevalent among the etiologies that can be identified in both recurrent pneumonia and persistent pneumonia. The presence of a pathological murmur on cardiac auscultation is a significant finding in favor of CHD. The frequency of congenital heart disease is higher in patients who fulfill the criteria for persistent pneumonia and in girls. Body weight is significantly affected in children with congenital heart disease associated with pneumonia.