Mortality in children with severe acute malnutrition.

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition is a major contributor to the global disease burden, accounting for more than one-third of child deaths worldwide. Severe Acute Malnutrition is a disease that is an underlying condition in many under five admissions in the study area of Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Harare and in Ethiopia as a whole.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the study is to identify the prevalent cause of mortality in Severe Acute Malnutrition, among children aged 6-59 months, admitted to Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Pediatric ward, Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit from 2013 to 2015. Which will be key to help improve the management protocol so as to see better outcomes in the patients in the study area, or at the very least to be a stepping stone to and point out the need for further analytical studies on the topic.

METHODOLOGY

The study was a retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study which was conducted to identify the prevalent causes of mortality in patients aged 6-59 months admitted to Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit over the period of 2013-2015.

RESULTS

The study reveals that the case recovery rate of the study area is 36% with the rate of patients who have disappeared or had left against physician's advice being a whapping 61.9%. The mortality rate weez was found to be 2.1% with the mortality sex ratio of Male: Female 1.6:1. The commonest complication that appears to related with mortality in Severe Acute Malnutrition was diarrheal disease (Acute Gastroenteritis) being present in 14 of the 15 deaths in the study period.

CONCLUSION

The study concludes that the Case Fatality Rate of the study area, even though very low, the high rate of disappearance and yet a comparatively low rate of recovery brings to question the general quality of care in the facility. More to this the commonest complication associated with mortality being a preventable and manageable one i.e. AGE calls for Vigilance in the management of such patients.