The Pediatric Disease Spectrum in an Emergency Department at a Tertiary Care Center in Beirut, Lebanon

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the most common diagnoses for pediatric emergency department (ED) visits at a tertiary care center in Lebanon.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients (aged ≤18 years) presenting to the American University of Beirut Medical Center ED during 2010-2011 was completed. The common diagnoses among 5 age groups (<1, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-18 years) in 3 categories (all pediatric ED visits, treat and release, admitted visits) were assessed. Diagnoses were classified according to the Clinical Classifications Software. Descriptive statistics and Pearson χ2 test were used.

Results: A total of 12,637 pediatric ED visits were included. The majority (90.2%) were among the treat-and-release group. The mean age for all patients was 7.2 years, 57.1% of whom were males. The top 5 most common diagnoses for all ED visits included fever of unknown origin, external injuries, upper respiratory tract infections, open wounds, and abdominal pain. Cardiac conditions were the most common reason for admission in children younger than 1 year, intestinal infection among 1 to 4 years old, pneumonia among 5 to 9 years old, and appendicitis among 10 to 14 and 15 to 18 years. Seasonal analysis showed fever of unknown origin to be the most common diagnosis across all seasons.

Conclusions: This study is the first to assess pediatric ED visits in a Lebanese setting. The top most common reason was communicable diseases, with fever of unknown origin being the most common reason for all visits, contrary to North America where injury and poisoning are the most common. Noncommunicable diseases (cardiac, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and appendicitis) were common reasons for admission in different age groups.