TITLE:
Pneumonia in Children Aged 6 to 59 Months with Severe Acute Malnutrition in the Department of Pediatrics of Gabriel Touré University Hospital
AUTHORS:
Karamoko Sacko, Hawa Konaré, Fousseyni Traoré, Belco Maiga, Djeneba Konaté, Amadou Touré, Kalirou Traoré, Pierre Togo, Abdoul Karim Doumbia, Aminata Doumbia, Abdoul Aziz Diakité, Ftoumata Dicko, Mariam Sylla, Boubacar Togo
KEYWORDS:
Pneumonia, Severe Acute Malnutrition, Child, Gabriel Touré University Hospital
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.16 No.6,
November
5,
2026
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases, particularly pneumonia. The interaction between infection and malnutrition is bidirectional: malnutrition impairs immune defenses, while infection can worsen nutritional status. Objective: To study pneumonia in children aged 6 to 59 months with severe acute malnutrition hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics at Gabriel Touré University Hospital. Patients and Methods: This was a descriptive prospective study of pneumonia cases occurring in children with severe acute malnutrition over a 12-month period, from January 1 to December 31, 2020. Results: Among 6024 hospital admissions, 216 cases of severe acute malnutrition were identified, of which 50 were associated with pneumonia, representing 23.15% of children with severe acute malnutrition. The mean age was 16.2 ± 2.3 months, with a range of 6 to 48 months. Children aged 6 to 23 months accounted for 80% of the study population, and females represented 56%. Complementary feeding was inadequate in 64% of the children. Marasmus accounted for 88% of the forms of malnutrition, while kwashiorkor accounted for 10%. All children presented with cough and fever; crackles were found in 72%, and tachypnea in 64%. Radiological opacity was reported in 66% of children who underwent chest radiography. The case fatality rate was 4%. Conclusion: Pneumonia is a frequent complication among children hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition in our setting. Young age, difficulties related to complementary feeding, and the high frequency of respiratory signs highlight the importance of integrated nutritional and infectious disease management.