PREVALENCE OF PNEUMONIA AMONG INFANTS HOSPITALIZED WITH SEVERE BRONCHIOLITIS IN BABYLON PROVINCE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Hospitalization due to bronchiolitis is relatively common during infancy. Pneumonia is known to be present in some cases where infants are admitted to hospitals for severe bronchiolitis. The purpose of this study was to establish the incidence of pneumonia among infants admitted to hospital with severe bronchiolitis and the association of such incidences with age, type of feeding, sex as well as the weight.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 children aged ≤2 years with severe bronchiolitis admitted to Babylon Teaching Hospital for Maternity and Children, Babylon Province, from February 1 to April 1, 2026. Bronchiolitis was diagnosed clinically, while pneumonia was diagnosed based on clinical assessment and chest X-ray findings showing consolidation. Data on age, sex, feeding type, and body weight at admission were collected. Associations between pneumonia status and categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square test, with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Of the 220 infants with severe bronchiolitis, 90 (40.9%) were diagnosed with pneumonia and 130 (59.1%) were not. Most infants were younger than 6 months (65.0%), and 60.0% were male. Bottle feeding was the most common feeding type (55.0%), while 50.5% had low body weight. Pneumonia was not significantly associated with age group, sex , feeding type, or weight status.

Conclusion: Pneumonia was diagnosed in 40.9% of infants hospitalized with severe bronchiolitis. No significant associations were observed between pneumonia and the demographic or clinical characteristics examined. Larger multicenter studies are needed to better characterize pneumonia among infants with severe bronchiolitis.