Age related reference ranges of respiratory rate and heart rate for children in the developing world

Lee wallis ^1* and Ian K Maconochie ²

¹ Red Cross children's hospital, South Africa
² St Mary's Hospital Paddington London, United Kingdom

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: leewallis{at}bvr.co.za.

Accepted 21 December 2005

Abstract

We have recently presented reference ranges for heart rate and respiratory rate in healthy resting schoolchildren, aged four to 16 years, in the United Kingdom. There are no similar ranges for children in the developing world. We undertook a study in Cape Town, South Africa, to establish whether the UK ranges may be applied to socio-economically disadvantaged groups. We recorded data on 346 children in a township school, and compared their height, weight, heart rates and respiratory rates to the UK ranges. The two groups plotted closely together by height and weight on the UK 90 growth reference charts. There was no difference in heart rate between the two groups, and a difference of 0.46 breathes per minutes in respiratory rate, which is not felt to be of clinical significance. The reference rages of heart and respiratory rate derived in the UK may be applied to children in developing world situations.

Keywords: developing world, heart rate, reference ranges, respiratory rate

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