Abstract:OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the common diseases of hospitalized pediatric patients and integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI). METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of 3 468 children (raging 1 week～5 years) with pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition, measles and malaria (5 diseases for IMCI) admitted between 1995～2000 was done. RESULTS: ① Of the 3 468 cases, 62.1% and 34.1% had pneumonia and diarrhea, respectively. Only 3.3% of the cases had malnutrition, but malnutrition was commonly associated ( 62.1% ) with the 5 diseases for IMCI. ② In the children between 1 week～2 months, pneumonia was the greatest cause of death ( 32.1% ), followed by late neonatal hyperbilirubinemia ( 25.0% ) and delayed vitamin K deficiency ( 23.2% ); late neonatal hyperbilirubinemia was the most common disease ( 43.8% ). In the children between 2 months～5 years, pneumonia was also the greatest cause of death ( 25.4% ), followed by intracranial infection ( 23.6% ) and septicemia ( 10.9% ); pneumonia, acute upper respiratory tract infection and diarrhea were the most common diseases ( 20.2% , 16.8% and 10.5% , respectively). ③ During the study period, the cases of the 5 diseases for IMCI accounted for 21.0% and 2.1% of all the cases admitted to the Department of Pediatrics and to the Infectious Diseases Unit, respectively; 1.2% of pediatric outpatients were hospitalized. CONCLUSIONS: In Guangdong Province, China, besides pneumonia, diarrhea and malnutrition, IMCI for children aged 1 week～2 months must include late neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, hemorrhagic disease (delayed onset) of newborns due to vitamin K deficiency. Acute upper respiratory tract infection and intracranial infection should be added to the IMCI for children aged 2 months～5 years. In addition, it is necessary to improve the services in the outpatient department and to strengthen the cooperation between the Pediatric and Infectious Diseases Departments.
