Ausencia de lactancia materna exclusiva como factor de riesgo en las infecciones respiratorias agudas en niños menores de 5 años

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Every year more than 1.9 million children under 5 years of age die worldwide, with acute respiratory infections being the main cause of infant morbidity and mortality; therefore, it represents one of the main public health problems. Objective: To determine the absence of exclusive breastfeeding as a risk factor associated with acute respiratory infections in children under five years of age. Method: A qualitative systematic review was carried out, through a structured search in different databases such as PubMed, Lilacs and Scopus. Articles from the last 5 years were included, related to the objective of the study and with a high level of evidence. Results: When analyzing a total of 273 articles related to the objective of the study, 6 met the search criteria, which allowed a qualitative synthesis to be carried out. These studies show the direct relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and acute respiratory infections. Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding is a fundamental pillar in the prevention of numerous diseases and its protective effect increases with duration. Non-breastfed children were at higher risk of acute respiratory infections compared to those who were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life.