Incidence and predictors of respiratory distress among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit, Northwest Ethiopia.

Respiratory distress is one of the most common problems that neonates encounter within the first few days of life and is a regular cause of admission to both term and preterm infants. Limited evidence exists on the incidence and predictors of this serious public health problem in resource-limited settings such as Ethiopia. To assess the incidence and evaluate predictors of respiratory distress among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) at West Gojjam Zone public hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, in 2024. A hospital-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted using 394 neonates admitted to NICUs from July 1, 2019, to March 31, 2023, at Northwest Ethiopia. Neonates were selected using computer-generated random sampling. Data were entered into Epi-data 4.6 and analyzed in Stata 17.0. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests compared categorical predictors' failure status. A Cox proportional hazards model identified RD predictors. Significant associations were declared at a p-value < 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The overall incidence rate of RD was 5.06 (95% CI: 4.32, 5.93) per 100 neonate-days of observation. Lack of ANC visits [AHR: 1.45 (95% CI: 1.04, 2.02)], multiple pregnancies [AHR: 1.73 (95% CI: 1.07, 2.76)], being male [AHR: 1.48 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.09)], being born to a diabetic mother [AHR: 2.83 (95% CI: 1.43, 5.62)], and low birth weight [AHR: 2.32 (95% CI: 1.19, 4.52)] were identified as significant predictors of RD. One in every twenty neonates experienced respiratory distress (RD) daily. The median time to respiratory occurrence among neonates was twelve days. Absence of ANC visit, multiple pregnancies, being born to diabetic mothers, male sex, and low birth weight were the statistically significant predictors of RD. Encouraging ANC visits, better diabetes control during pregnancy, and close monitoring of multiple pregnancies and low birth weight are highly recommended.