Muhammad Mustansar, Zahoor Ul Hassan.
Differences of morbidity in breastfed and non breastfed infants.
Pak J Pathol Jan ;12(3):127-34.

Objectives: To study the morbidity patterns of non-breastfed infants and comparison with breast fed infants Place and Duration of study: The study was conducted at Emergency/Medical Ward of the Children`s Hospital & The Institute of Child Health. Lahore over a period of two weeks in April 2001 Methods- A consecutive sample of 100 infants upto the age of six months admitted in the hospital for the management of various ailments were selected The information was recorded on a pre-tested questionnaire by personal interview The infants having suckling problems were not selected Results: 100 cases were studied Low education level of parents especially mothers and tendency towards home deliveries 41 % were observed The male infants were brought to the hospital more frequently 65%. Prelacteral feeds were given to 87%, of infants and mother`s milk was offered only to 13% of infants Due to the lack of optimum breastfeeding & recurrent attacks of diarrhea malnutrition was observed in 75% of infants In the present study non-breastfed infants were four times more admitted in the hospital for the management of ailments as compared to the breastfed infants Breastfeeding was 43% at 3 months and 20% at six months, acute diarrhoea was 6% in breastfed and 21% in non breastfed infants chest infection 6% breastfed and 9% in non breastfed infants, SOM with complication 1% in breastfed and 3% non breastfed infants, persistent diarrhea 1% in breastfed and 30% in non breastfed infants, septicemia 1% in breastfed and 13% in non breastfed infants These results showed that resistance to infectious diseases was more in breastfed infants because human milk contains abundance of factors that are active against pathogenic microorganisms

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