Liquefied Petroleum Gas Does Not Affect Severe Pneumonia Risk in Infants

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 4, 2024 -- An intervention that replaces biomass fuel (e.g., wood, dung, or agricultural crop waste) with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking does not affect the incidence of severe pneumonia among infants, according to a study published in the Jan. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Noting that household air pollution is a risk factor for severe pneumonia, Eric D. McCollum, M.D., M.P.H., from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial involving pregnant women aged 18 to 34 years and between 9 and <20 weeks of gestation in India, Guatemala, Peru, and Rwanda. The women were assigned to cook with unvented LPG stoves and fuel (intervention group; 1,536 infants) or continue cooking with biomass fuel (control group; 1,525 infants).

The researchers observed a reduction in personal exposure to fine particulate matter among the infants in association with a high uptake of the intervention, with a median exposure of 24.2 and 66.0 µg/m3 in the intervention and control groups, respectively. During the first year of life, 175 episodes of severe pneumonia were identified, with incidences of 5.67 and 6.06 cases per 100 child-years in the intervention and control groups, respectively (incidence rate ratio, 0.96; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.64 to 1.44; P = 0.81). There were no reports of severe adverse events in association with the intervention.

"The incidence of severe infant pneumonia was not significantly lower with the use of LPG cookstoves than with biomass cookstoves," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2024-01-05 02:15

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords