Utilidad de la escala “Bacterial Pneumonia Score” para identificar la etiología de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en pacientes menores de 5 años atendidos en el Hospital Dr. Roberto Gilbert Elizalde de enero a diciembre del 2024.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children is an acute infection of the pulmonary parenchyma and is one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries. Differentiating the etiology of CAP from the outset will help avoid unnecessary treatment. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the usefulness of the Bacterial Pneumonia Score (BPS) in identifying the etiology of pediatric pneumonia. METHODS: A prospective, analytical study was conducted using ROC curve analysis, sensitivity and specificity, and predictive values for the BPS score. RESULTS: An analysis of 339 patients with a CAP prevalence of 0.73% was performed during 2024. Of the patients analyzed, 63.4% were male, the mean age at presentation was 1.8 years, 29.5% of cases were caused by respiratory syncytial virus, 50.7% received antibiotic treatment, and the overall mortality was 0.3%. CONCLUSIONS: The BPS scale was not accurate in determining the etiology of pediatric CAP.