# Prevalence, main diagnoses, and outcomes of hospital admissions in Mongolian children: a national registry-based descriptive analysis

## TL;DR

This study analyzed hospital admissions for children in Mongolia, finding high rates in young children and identifying common diagnoses like pneumonia and jaundice.

## Contribution

The study provides the first national, registry-based analysis of pediatric hospital admissions in Mongolia.

## Key findings

- Median prevalence of 5,218 pediatric hospital admissions per 100,000 population per year was found.
- Pneumonia and COVID-19 were the most common diagnoses in children under 5 and older children.
- Hospital mortality was highest in newborns at 5.9% compared to 0.25% and 0.14% in older groups.

## Abstract

No systematic data on pediatric hospital admissions in Mongolia are available.

The Mongolian National Hospital Data registry was screened for pediatric (<18 years) hospital admissions (01.01.2019–31.12.2023) to report the prevalence, main diagnoses, and outcomes of hospital admissions in Mongolian newborns, post-neonatal children und 5 years, and children aged 5–17.99 years. Descriptive methods were used for data analysis.

During the study period, 927,223 pediatric hospital admissions were identified translating into a median prevalence of 5,218 (IQR: 4,386–6,098) pediatric hospital admissions per 100,000 population (all ages) per year. This prevalence was highest among post-neonatal children under 5 years (median: 3,780; IQR: 2,491–3,900), followed by children aged 5–17.99 years (median: 1,945; IQR: 1,929–2,071), and newborns (median: 275; IQR: 246–295) over the study period. Neonatal jaundice was the most frequent main diagnosis in newborns. Pneumonia and COVID-19 were most common in both post-neonatal children under 5 years and children aged 5–17.99 years. The median length of hospital stay was 6.7 (IQR: 5.0–9.0) days in newborns, 6.0 (IQR: 5.0–7.0) days in post-neonatal children under 5 years, and 7.0 (IQR: 5.0–8.0) days in children aged 5–17.99 years. The hospital mortality rate was 5.9% in newborns, 0.25% in post-neonatal children under 5 years, and 0.14% in children aged 5–17.99 years.

This nationwide, registry-based study found a median prevalence of 5,218 pediatric hospital admissions per 100,000 population (all ages) per year in Mongolia. The majority of pediatric hospital admissions occurred in post-neonatal children under five years. The observation period included the COVID-19 pandemic years.