Evaluation of infection frequency and hospitalizations in patients with malnutrition

Aim: Malnutrition is an important health problem that it occurs to take the nutrients required for growth and development are insufficient or imbalanced. Malnutrition can increase both the frequency and the severity of infections. We aimed to investigate the relationship between malnutrition and the frequency of infection and hospitalization in pediatric patients in our study. Methods: 252 patients who applied to Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Hospital Pediatric Health and Diseases Clinic between January 2019 and December 2019 were included in the study. The study was planned retrospectively. 126 of patients (Group 1) had malnutrition, while the order 126 had no malnutrition (Group 2). The patients' age, gender, body weight, height, complaints, frequency and distribution of infection, and the frequency and duration of hospitalization were examined. The effects of malnutrition on the frequency of infection and the frequency and duration of hospitalization were examined. Results: 98.4% of the patients in Group 1 and 86.5% of the patients in Group 2 had a history of infection at least once in the last year. 25.4% of the patients in Group 1 and 12.7% of the patients in Group 2 were hospitalized. The hospitalization period of the patients in Group 1 was 1.79 ± 3.68 (median value 0.0 days) and the patients in Group 2 were 0.68 ± 1.98 (0.0 days). Infection frequency, hospitalization frequency and duration were higher in Group 1 patients (p<0,05). Conclusion: Malnutrition, affecting the growth and development of children by affecting all body systems, is also a very important factor that can cause an increase in the development of infectious diseases and the frequency and duration of hospitalization. We believe that with early detection and prevention of malnutrition, the frequency and severity of costly infectious diseases will decrease and therefore hospitalizations and loss of parental workforce can be prevented. Keywords: Malnutrition, İnfection Disease, Hospitalization