[Infectious profile and mortality of children aged 0-5 years admitted with severe acute malnutrition: a retrospective cohort study conducted in the Therapeutic Nutritional Center in Bukavu, Republic of Congo].

INTRODUCTION

Malnutrition is a backdrop on which several infections are grafted. The aim of this study is to determine the most lethal infections, the median length of stay and the median daily weight gain of malnourished children.

METHOD

A retrospective cohort study of malnutrition in children aged 0-59 months hospitalized in the Therapeutic Nutritional Center in Bukavu from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2013. The evaluation of the risk of deaths related to infectious complication was made measuring the relative risk. Mann-Whitney test was used for comparing the medians. Adjusted odd ratios using logistic regression and 95% confidence interval for the risk of mortality were given for each infectious cause.

RESULTS

A total of 574 children were included in the study. Five hundred twenty-one (90.8%) children were cured, 10 (1.7%) had discontinued treatment and 43 (7.5%) had died. The median length of stay was 19 (13-26) days and the median daily weight gain was 7 (3-13) g/kg/j. There was a statistically significant association between mortality and sepsis/septic shock (p = 0.0004), meningitis (p = 0.00001) and HIV infection (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

A better management of acute malnutrition in our region should be based on the establishment of specialized and well equipped units for the treatment of malnutrition associated with severe infections.