Evidence Hub

Association between hospitalised childhood pneumonia and follow-up chest radiographs in high-risk populations: a secondary analysis of a multicentre randomised controlled trial

H. Kok, S. Yerkovich, G. McCallum, Keith Grimwood, I. Masters, Nicholas Fancourt, S. Fong, Anna M Nathan et al.

Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2025

324 participants · 2 citations

Abstract

Objective As children hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are at risk of persistent chest radiograph (CXR) abnormalities and respiratory sequelae, we investigated factors associated with incomplete CXR resolution at 4 weeks and 12 months post-discharge in children from populations at high-risk of chronic lung disease. Design Secondary analysis−multicentre, placebo-controlled, randomised controlled trial. Settings and patients 324 children aged 3 months to ≤5 years hospitalised with radiographic-confirmed CAP were enrolled from seven hospitals in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. After 1–3 days of intravenous antibiotics, then 3 days of oral amoxicillin–clavulanate, they were randomised to extended (13–14 days) or standard (5–6 days) courses of antibiotics. Intervention CXRs were performed at admission, 4 weeks, and 12 months post-discharge and reviewed in a blinded manner. Main outcome measures Radiographic changes of pneumonia at 4 weeks and 12 months post-discharge compared with admission CXRs. Results Among children with interpretable CXRs, incomplete resolution was seen in 42/253 (17%) at 4 weeks, and 29/212 (14%) at 12 months. Characteristics at admission associated with incomplete CXR resolution at 4 weeks were previous pneumonia hospitalisation (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj])=6.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.21 to 18.85) and increasing age (ORadj=0.60 per-year, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.94). Continuing respiratory symptoms/signs at 4 weeks post-discharge…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a secondary / pooled analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 324 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free