v
Dr Maryam Iqbal, Dr Nureen Shahzadee, Dr Dania Noor
Background / purpose: Study of complications of measles in hospitalized patients. Measles is common under the age of 5. It is transmitted by droplets through the respiratory tract, mainly in the prodromal period (7 days before and 7 days after the appearance of the rash). The measles outbreak occurs during the spring and winter season and is endemic worldwide. In Pakistan, the estimated number of deaths from measles is 81,000 per year among children under the age of 5. Measles is a common cause of immunosuppression which leads to complications. As the morbidity and mortality rate of measles is still very high, this study aims to investigate the complications of measles in hospitalized patients. Material and methods: The study was conducted at the Pediatric Unit-II of Services Hospital Lahore for one-year duration from April 2019 to April 2020. Children aged 6 months to 12 years were included in the study. All patients hospitalized due to measles and its complications were included in the study. A total of 82 patients were enrolled in this study. As maternal antibodies protect children under 6 months of age, they were excluded from the study. Patients with measles were diagnosed with generalized maculopapular rash, cough, bark, conjunctivitis and fever. Results: A total of 82 measles patients were included in the study. 63.5% of patients were aged 1-3 years. Men constituted 45.2% and women 54.8%. Most of the patients, 60.9%, had not been vaccinated against measles. Most of the patients (68.3%) were malnourished. The most common complications were pneumonia (84.1%) and diarrhea (26.8%). Mouth ulcers, otitis media, eye ulcers, and encephalitis were less frequent complications in this study. Most of the patients improved and were discharged home. Conclusion: Pneumonia, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, otitis media, and encephalitis were the most common complications in this study.