SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF BNP VALUES IN CHILDREN WITH PNEUMONIA IN BENIN CITY

Background The level of BNP is usually used as a guide to heart failure. However, there is need for the level of this peptide to be known in non-cardiac conditions that may cause inflammation and hypoxia. Aims To determine socio-demographic determinants of BNP in children with pneumonia. To determine the socio-economic determinants of BNP in children with pneumonia. Methods Over a year, consecutive children diagnosed radiologically with pneumonia were evaluated echocardiographically for CHD. Also, children with heart failure were excluded. Inclusion criteria included all those children with ongoing pneumonia without any evidence of any other co-morbidity whether acute or chronic. Biodata and sociodemographic variables of children with pneumonia that met the inclusion criteria were collected and studied. Results Of the 50 subjects recruited for the study, 26 (52 per cent) were males. The mean age for males 14.27 +/- 13.33, females 12.03 +/- 11.83, mean height for males 74.00 +/- 3.46 and 72.00 +/- 0.00 for females, the mean weight range from 8.30 +/- 1.87 and 7.08 +/- 3.40 for males and females respectively. The mean BNP value for all subjects was 459.55 +/- 422.61, of which males had a mean value of 500.33 +/-.399.93 and females 415.38 +/- 450.25 with a p value of 0.483. The mean brain natriuretic factor for weight range 1-5.9kg was 203.83 +/- 116.04 that of 6-10.9kg was 645.22 +/- 314.26, while that of 11-15.9kg was the lowest with 115.85 +/- 72.46. Conclusion Apart from congenital heart disease and several other morbidities both chronic and acute, sociodemographic characteristics of the patient and some clinical features may also affect BNP levels in the blood. Patients with pneumonia had higher mean values of BNP when compared with normal cut-off.