Survival status and predictors of mortality in severely malnourished children admitted to Jimma University Specialized Hospital from 2010 to 2012, Jimma, Ethiopia: a retrospective longitudinal study

Table 2 Comparison of characteristics at admission for the group that absconded and the overall population of severely malnourished children admitted to JUSH, Sept. 2010-Sept. 2012

Admission Characteristics	Population category
Admission Characteristics	Overall population	Absconded	Total	P-value
Socio-demographic characteristics
Age
<24 months	407	57	464	.432
≥24 months	540	65	605
Sex
Male	555	75	630	.544
Female	392	47	439
Anthropometry and type of malnutrition
MUAC (for 6–59 months)
<11.5 cm	407	51	458	.364
≥11.5 cm	289	29	318
Type of malnutrition
Oedematous	576	64	640	.076
Non oedematous	371	58	429
Clinical conditions at admissions
Vital signs
a) Hypothermia (axillary T^o ≤ 35 °C)
Present	17	0	17	.244^c
Absent	930	122	1052
b) Respiratory rate^a
Bradypnea	85	11	96
Tachypnea	570	73	643	.997
Normal	292	38	330
c) Pulse rate^a
Bradycardia	113	13	126
Tachycardia	94	16	110	.530
Normal	740	93	833
Conjunctival color
Pale	224	26	250	.565
Pink	723	96	819
Palmar pallor
Present	170	23	193	.808
Absent	777	99	876
Dehydration
Present	112	22	134	.051
Absent	835	100	935
Shock
Present	61	13	74	.084
Absent	886	109	995
Consciousness level
Impaired	118	17	135	.645
Conscious^b	829	105	934
Diarrhea
Present	625	74	699	.243
Absent	322	48	370
Vomiting
Present	489	66	555	.609
Absent	458	56	514
Skin lesion
Present	296	37	333	.835
Absent	651	85	736
Co-morbidity/complication on admission
Co-morbidity/complication on admission
Present	658	85	743	.966
Absent	289	37	326
HIV Status (Unknown status = 351)
Positive	23	4	27	.315^c
Negative	573	59	632
Type of treatments given
Infusion at admission
Yes	76	19	95	.006
No	871	103	974
Transfusion at admission
Yes	5	1	6	.518^c
No	942	121	1063

^aVital sign classification – Categorical variables for respiratory rate and pulse rate were created from admission measures using cut-offs defined by levels that would imply a definite need for urgent therapeutic intervention according to Advanced Paediatric Life Support [11]
^b = COTPP (conscious, oriented to time, place and person), alert, irritable, apathetic
^cFisher exact test was used because the assumption for Pearson chi-square test was not satisfied

ISSN: 1471-2431