iarjimphIARJIMPHIARJIMPH2709-331Xhttps://doi.org/10.47310/iarjimph.2020.v01i01.010Assessing Pneumonia Severity Difference between Syrian Refugees and the Lebanese Children; a Retrospective Study over 5 Years from 2015 Till 2020AnnaMariaEliasImadChokrRouwaydaDanaBassemAbouMerhiIntroduction: Pneumonia remains one of the main conditions leading to morbidity and mortality around the world, both among adults and children. In UNHCR refugee camps, pneumonia remains one of the most prevalent diseases and one of the main causes of death in children below the age of 5 years. Objective: The study aims to show the difference in severity of CAP requiring hospitalization among Lebanese children and refugees’ children comparing 2 populations belonging to the same age group and to compare pneumonia severity between Lebanese and Syrian children. Methodology: This is an observational, retrospective study of the Lebanese and Syrian children aged between 2 months and 5 years admitted to Rafik Hariri University hospital for community acquired pneumonia from February 2015 till February 2020. The study includes 201 patients diagnosed having CAP. The data collected from the patients’ medical records includes demographic data, clinical data, physical exam, laboratory and radiology results, treatment data and vital signs. Results: Out of 5852 pediatric admission during the study period, CAP occurred in 3.4% of patients, with lower rates among Lebanese children (1.2%) compared to Syrian children (2.2%). Patients with CAP had comparable gender and age between study groups. The most prevalent clinical symptoms observed were fever (98%), cough (93%), irritability (73.1%) and decreased feeding (45.8%). Syrian children were significantly more likely to exhibit irritability and decreased feeding. Physical exam findings were more frequently observed among Syrian children, who showed significantly more illness, noisy breathing, respiratory distress, rhonchi, grunting and nasal flaring. Severe CAP was diagnosed in 57.7% and was significantly higher in Syrian patients (88.7%) compared to Lebanese patients (37.1%). Syrian children had a higher need for mechanical ventilation, IV fluids and PICU admission. Radiological findings showed that infiltration was more prevalent in Lebanese patients (82.9%) and consolidation was more prevalent in Syrian patients. Updated vaccination was less frequent among Syrian children, who required a longer period of treatment and length of hospital stay. Biomarkers of pneumonia severity (WBC and CRP) were consistently higher among Syrian children. Conclusion: This study showed that Syrian patients have significantly higher prevalence and severity of CAP. The notable differences between the two patient populations shows the clear impact of the humanitarian crisis, particularly among resource-deprived refugee and migrant populations.