Yeungnam Univ J Med.  2017 Dec;34(2):182-190. 10.12701/yujm.2017.34.2.182.

Clinical characteristics of acute lower respiratory tract infections according to respiratory viruses in hospitalized children without underlying disease during the last 3 years

• Seo MH
• Kim HY
• Um TM
• Kim HY
• Park HJ

• KMID: 2400353
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2017.34.2.182

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Respiratory viruses play a significant role in the etiology of acute respiratory infections and exacerbation of chronic respiratory illnesses. This study was conducted to identify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children with acute viral lower respiratory infections.
METHODS
This study investigated 1,168 children diagnosed with acute viral lower respiratory tract infections (RTIs) between January 2012 and December 2014. Specimens of respiratory viruses were collected using a nasopharyngeal swab and analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and analyzed the clinical features of children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory infections.
RESULTS
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the main cause of infection in children aged <5 years, was the most commonly detected pathogen in children with bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and resulted in high proportions of children requiring oxygen treatment and intensive care unit admission. Rhinovirus was preceded by RSV as the second most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and was detected most frequently in the children aged ≥6 years. In addition, asthma was predominantly caused by rhinovirus in children aged ≥6 years, whereas croup was mostly caused by parainfluenza virus in those aged <5 years. Rhinovirus infection (p < 0.001) and history of asthma (p=0.049) were identified as significant risk factors for readmission within a month.
CONCLUSION
We identified the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of respiratory viruses in children with acute lower respiratory infections during the last 3 years. Our findings may provide useful clinical insight to comprehend the acute viral lower RTIs in children.

Keyword

Respiratory tract infection; Viruses; Pneumonia; Bronchiolitis; Child

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Bronchiolitis
Child
Child, Hospitalized*
Croup
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Medical Records
Oxygen
Paramyxoviridae Infections
Pneumonia
Respiratory Syncytial Viruses
Respiratory System*
Respiratory Tract Infections*
Retrospective Studies
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Rhinovirus
Risk Factors
Oxygen