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Pattern of resolution of tachypnoea and fever in childhood pneumonia.

Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) account for one fifth of deaths among children below five years of age and pneumonia is responsible for about 70% of all ALRI deaths. Interventions with antibiotics have shown reduction in pneumonia case-fatality rates. However, there is room for further reduction of deaths from pneumonia through improved monitoring and follow up system. We studied the pattern of resolution of tachypnoea and fever among 108 children who presented to our outpatient clinic with non-severe pneumonia and among 102 children who were admitted for severe pneumonia. We found that tachypnoea was present in 18% and 23% after 72 hours of initiation of antibiotics and fever resolved completely after 48 hours and 72 hours of initiation of therapy in non-severe cases of pneumonia among children two to 11 months and 12 to 59 months of age respectively. Conversely, among cases of severe pneumonia on day 5 of initiation of treatment, tachypnoea and fever were present in 65% and 51% respectively in children two to 11 months old and in 53% and 60% respectively in children 12 to 59 months old. Respiratory rate increased with increase in body temperature at an average rate of four breaths per minute for every 1 degree C rise. Our study suggests that body temperature and respiratory rate can be used to monitor the clinical course of non-severe pneumonia. Further research is needed to identify other clinical signs that will help the health worker to decide improvement in attacks of severe pneumonia.