Portrait of outpatient visits and hospitalizations for acute infections in Nunavik preschool children

OBJECTIVE: Inuit children from around the world are burdened by a high rate of infectious diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence rate of infections in Inuit preschool children from Nunavik (Northern Québec). METHODS: The medical chart of 354 children from a previously recruited cohort was reviewed for the first five years of life. All outpatient visits that led to a diagnosis of acute infection and all admissions for acute infections were recorded. RESULTS: Rates of outpatient visits for acute otitis media (AOM) were 2314, 2300, and 732 events/1000 child-years for children 0-11 months, 12-23 months, and 2-4 years, respectively. Rates of outpatient visits for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) were 1385, 930, and 328 events/1000 child-years, respectively. Rates of hospitalization for pneumonia were 198, 119, and 31 events/1000 child-years, respectively. CONCLUSION: Inuit children from Nunavik have high rates of AOM and LRTI. Such rates were higher than that of other non-native North-American populations previously published. Admission for LRTI is up to 10 times more frequent in Nunavik compared to other Canadian populations.