Introduction: Respiratory distress due to acute respiratory infections (ARI) are responsible for 3.9 million deaths per year in young children according to World Health Organization (WHO).
Aim: To study the clinical profile and risk factors for hospitalization in infants with respiratory distress due to ARI during 1 - 6 months of life.
Methods: Infants of exclusive breast feeding age group who presented with respiratory distress according to WHO criteria for the first time are included in the study, case proforma with risk factors completed and appropriate investigations done. Results are analyzed.
Results: The study enrolled 100 infants with male predominance of which 82 were bronchiolitis, 18 were pneumonia. Risk factors for hospitalization includes prematurity, low birth weight, lack of breast feeding, bad child rearing practices, passive smoking, overcrowding and infection in sibling.
Conclusion: Decreasing the risk factors decrease the risk of respiratory infections
