[Influence of malnutrition on childhood mortality in a rural hospital in Rwanda].

BACKGROUND

Recent estimates of the role of malnutrition on childhood mortality have led to a call for action by decision makers in the fight against child malnutrition. Further evaluation is needed to assess the burden of malnutrition in terms of morbidity and mortality, as well as to assess the impact of various interventions. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of malnutrition on mortality in a pediatric service of a rural hospital in Rwanda.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study included children aged 6-59 months coming from the catchment area of the hospital and admitted to the pediatric ward between January 2008 and June 2009. Anthropometric, clinical and biological data were gathered at the time of admission. The effect of malnutrition at the time of admission on mortality during hospitalization was analyzed by using logistic regression.

RESULTS

At the time of admission, the prevalences of wasting, underweight and stunting among children was 14.2%, 37.5% and 57.3% respectively. Fifty-six children died during hospitalization. The period mortality rate was 6.9%. After adjustment for age, sex, malaria thick smear and breathing with chest retractions, death was associated with underweight and stunting with adjusted odds rations of 4.6 (IC95% 2.5-8.4) and 4.0 (IC95% 2.0-8.2) respectively.

CONCLUSION

The study confirmed the influence of malnutrition on child mortality in pediatrics wards. These results can be of great help for improving the awareness of the community decision-makers in the fight to prevent malnutrition.