DETERMINANTS OF INTUSSUSCEPTION AMONG UNDER-FIVE YEAR OLD CHILDREN ATTENDING PEDIATRIC SURGICAL WARD IN ADARE GENERAL HOSPITAL, HAWASSA UNIVERSITY COMPREHENSIVE SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL AND ALATYON HOSPITAL IN HAWASSA CITY, SIDAMA REGION, ETHIOPIA, 2023 G.C.; A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Intussusception is the invagination of a segment of the bowel into a distal segment. It is one of the leading causes of death in children in sub-Saharan Africa. The process usually begins in the region of the terminal ileum and extends distally into the ascending, transverse, or descending colon. Although the exact cause of intussusception remains unknown, two major theories—dietary and infectious—have been put forth. Hence, there is a need to carry out research to come up with the determinants. Objective: To identify the determinants of intussusception among under-five year old children at Adare General Hospital, Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, and Alatyon Hospital in Hawassa City, Sidama region, Ethiopia, 2023. Method and materials: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in the study hospitals. The data were collected by using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and medical record review. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 25, and a multiple-variable logistic regression model was employed to understand the association between independent variables and the occurrence of intussusception. Statistical significance was determined at a threshold of a P value less than 0.05. Result: fifty-two cases and one hundred fifty-six controls were used for the study. The average age with a standard deviation of the cases was 11.5±8.60 months and 18.9 ±15.4 months for controls. Males comprised 65.4% of cases and 53.8% of controls, while females constituted up 34.6% of cases and 46.2% of controls. Multiple-variable logistic regression analysis demonstrates that three variables are independent determinants of intussusception. Intussusception was substantially related to children of 6 to 12 months of age [AOR=3.13; 95% CI: 1.04-9.41], who had a previous gastrointestinal infection [AOR=5.07; 95% CI: 2.14-11.9], mixed feeding for the first six months [AOR=17.31; 95% CI: 5.43-55.1], early initiation of complementary feeding before six months [AOR=8.03; 95% CI: 2.14-30.0]. Conclusion: Age, health related and dietary factors had contributed to the the risk of intussusception. Maintaining good hygiene practices to prevent infections is crucial. Keywords: Barium enema, intussusception, determinants, under-five, children.