Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) kills more under-five (U-5) children in Sub-Saharan Africa than in any other part of the world. Co-existing myocarditis and congestive cardiac failure (CCF) in the setting of CAP could play a crucial role in determining the disease outcome. The aim of the study was to evaluate myocarditis in U-5 children with CAP in the emergency room setting using cardiac troponin-T (cTnT) and electrocardiography (ECG). A hospital based cross-sectional study involving 76 children with CAP aged between 2 - 59 months, and their age- and sex-matched controls. Serum cTnT was measured using Roche Cobas® h232 POC system and standard electrocardiographic (ECG) tracings were obtained from participants using the APS Three Channel ECG-3B (Model- EKG-903A3) machine to evaluate for myocarditis. The mean age of subjects in this study was 19.8 ± 12.2 months. The prevalence of ECG features of myocarditis was 45%. The ECG features of myocarditis detected in the study include prolonged PR interval, reduced QRS voltages in limb leads, right axis deviation and prolonged QTc. Presence of elevated cTnT (≥50 ng/L) suggestive of myocarditis was detected in about 10% of subjects with CAP, particularly in those with CCF. The presence of elevated cTnT was a better predictor of mortality than the ECG features of myocarditis (p = 0.029). The prevalence of myocardial involvement in U-5 children with CAP is high and an elevated serum cTnT predicts mortality better than ECG changes in children with CAP.
Cite this paper
Alao, S. , Uzodimma, C. and Olowu, A. (2023). Myocarditis in Under-Five Children with Community-Acquired Pneumonia Using Serum Cardiac Troponin-T and Electrocardiography. Open Access Library Journal, 10, e894. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1110894.
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