Clinico-epidemiologic Study of Nosocomial Rotaviral Gastroenteritis, 2001-2005

Youn, Young Ah; Lee, Seung Woo; Lee, Kyung Yil; Yoon, You Sook; Hwang, Ja Young; Rhim, Jung Woo; Kang, Jin Han; Lee, Joon Sung

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was performed to determine the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of nosocomial rotavirus gastroenteritis.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed 628 medical records of patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis between 2001 and 2005. The patients were divided into two groups (the community-acquired group [528 cases] and the nosocomial group [100 cases]. The epidemiologic and clinical indices between the groups were analysed. For clinical comparison, 100 age- matched cases were selected from the community-acquired group.
RESULTS
The male-to-female ratio was similar (1.4:1 vs. 1.5:1), but the mean age was lower in the nosocomial group compared to the community-acquired group (21.9+/-15.5 months vs. 16.6+/-10.3 months, P<0.001). The patterns of age distribution, annual frequency, and seasonal distribution were similar in both groups. The proportions of nosocomial cases in each year ranged from 9.8% to 22.4% of annual rotaviral infections, and these were not proportional to annual cases. The duration of fever appeared more prominent in the nosocomial group, and the severity of diarrhea was not different between the groups. The cases with a BUN >20 mg/dL were more in the community-acquired group (16% vs. 4%, P=0.01).
CONCLUSION
The clinical and epidemiologic charateristics of nosocomial rotavirus gastroenteritis were similar and correlated to those of the community-acquired gastroenteritis.