Clinical Observations on Chief Complaints of Pediatric Patients

ABSTRACT

The following results were obtained from the clinicostatical observations on chief complaints of pediatric patients at National Medical Center in Seoul during the period from Jan. 1975 to Dec. 1979. 1. Total number of admission during the 5 year period were 3831 and male to female ratio was 1.73:1. 2. Annual incidence : a gradual increase was observed in number of admission. 3. Age incidence: the neonates and the infants less than 1year of age occupied 51.7% of total number of admission. 4. Seasonal incidence: the number of admission was significantly greater in autumn than in any other seasons in the age group above 4 weeks old age. 5. Frequency of chief complaints according to age was as following: i) In the early neonatal period, jaundice was the most frequent(40.7%) and low birth weight (22.2%), dyspnea(6.5%), vomiting(5.0%) etc. ii) In the age of 1 weeks, jaundice was the most frequent(26.0%) and poor sucking(9.5%), fever(8.1%_, cough(8.1%), skin lesion(7.7%) etc. iii) In the age of 4 weeks to 1 year, cough was the most frequent(18.9%) and diarrhea (14.4%), dyspnea(13.4%), fever(12.7%), vomiting(11.5%) etc. iv) In the age of 1 year to 2 years, fever was the most frequent(18.3%) and diarrhea (14.9%), vomiting(13.9%), cough(13.6%), dyspnea(9.9%) etc. v) In the age of 2 years, fever was the most frequent(18.7%) and cough(11.0%), dyspnea(8.5%), vomiting(6.4%), convulsion(6.0%) etc. vi) In the age of 6 years to 12 years, fever was the most frequent(18.7%) and cough(11.0%), dyspnea(8.5%), vomiting(6.4%), convulsion(6.0%) etc. vii) In the age of 12 years to 15 years, abdominal pain was themost frequent(10.3%) and fever(10.6%), dyspnea(9.0%), mental disturbance(8.4%), vomiting(7.5%) etc. 6. Frequency of chief complaints according to season: no significant variation was noted in each age groups, except that diarrhea was prominent in freauency in summer and autumn in the age of 4 weeks to 6 years. 7. The frequency of chief complaints all through the pediatric age is as following: fever(11.9%), cough(9.9%), dyspnea(9.3%), vomiting(8.6%), jaundice(8.1%), diarrhea(8.1%), convulsion(5.4%), low birth weight(3.9%), edema(3.3%), abdominal pain(2.9)\%), mental disturbance(2.8%), skin lesion(1.9%), etc