Lower Respiratory Tract Infections among Saudi Children: A Review of Literature

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Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs) account for a critical health problem that affects approximately (15.4%) of the Saudi population. This study focused on previous studies that included children to investigate the epidemiology of LRTIs and respiratory viruses. The detected populations signified that young children are more vulnerable to get ARTIs than adults, as many viruses including human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), influenza viruses, and human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) were found to be highly infective to infants and children. Conclusion: The study showed that there is a lack of literature that highlights the prevalence of ALRTIs in children or discusses the management and expected complications of these respiratory infections. It also implied the importance of spreading the knowledge about ALRTIs among parents who have newborns and establishing the proper management-guidelines of the disease to face the increasing morbidity and mortality of ARTIs among children.