الفهرس 
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Abstract
Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a lower respiratory tract infection acquired outside a hospital or long-term care facility. Globally, pneumonia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children younger than the age of 5 years, however there is a lack of information on the actual statistics of CAP in our community.
Aim of the Work: To calculate the incidence of pediatric CAP, defining its risk factors and evaluating its clinical and economic burden.
Methods: This study is an observational prospective study, conducted at El-Demerdash Children Hospital, Ain Shams University Hospital on the admitted paediatric patients with documented diagnosis of CAP during the period from July 2022 to July 2023. CAP was defined as pneumonia in the absence of immune compromise or prior hospital admission within the previous 30–90 days. Patients enrolled in the study were classified into complicated and uncomplicated pneumonia. Complete history was taken including demographic data and vaccination history. Complete clinical examination was done with special emphasis on chest examination. Laboratory and radiological investigations were collected from the hospital records. Cost per CAP episode was calculated according to hospital official account records and converted to United states dollar (USD). Results: The study found that annual incidence of CAP was 23 cases per 1000 admission (2300 cases per 100.000 admission) with annual incidence of complicated cases being 71 cases/100 CAP admissions and uncomplicated cases being 29 cases/100 CAP admissions. The median total cost per CAP episode was 272.95 (USD). In the term of risk factors, our study showed that passive smoking was prevalent among 30.9% of the studied patients, 92.1% suffered from malnutrition, and 22% were born preterm indicating potential risk factors for CAP. Factors associated with complicated pneumonia were weight Z score <= 0.19, respiratory rate >51 (per minute), oxygen saturation <= 94%, and platelets <= 316 (10^3/UL). The mortality rate was 8.9% of the studied patients. Predictors of mortality in our study were need of mechanical ventilation, presence of complications and Anxiety/Depression score >2. Conclusion: The study assessed the annual incidence of CAP including complicated and uncomplicated cases and its economic burden. Risk factors of complications and mortality should be addressed and focused on by pediatricians.