Korean J Pediatr.  2018 Sep;61(9):291-300. 10.3345/kjp.2017.06100.

The changes of prevalence and etiology of pediatric pneumonia from National Emergency Department Information System in Korea, between 2007 and 2014

• Shin EJ
• Kim Y
• Jeong JY
• Jung YM
• Lee MH
• Chung EH

• KMID: 2422368
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2017.06100

Abstract

PURPOSE
Understanding changes in pathogen and pneumonia prevalence among pediatric pneumonia patients is important for the prevention of infectious diseases.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed data of children younger than 18 years diagnosed with pneumonia at 117 Emergency Departments in Korea between 2007 and 2014.
RESULTS
Over the study period, 329,380 pediatric cases of pneumonia were identified. The most frequent age group was 1-3 years old (48.6%) and the next was less than 12 months of age (17.4%). Based on International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision diagnostic codes, confirmed cases of viral pneumonia comprised 8.4% of all cases, pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae comprised 3.8% and confirmed cases of bacterial pneumonia 1.3%. The prevalence of confirmed bacterial pneumonia decreased from 3.07% in 2007 and 4.01% in 2008 to 0.65% in 2014. The yearly rate of pneumococcal pneumonia also decreased from 0.47% in 2007 to 0.08% in 2014. A periodic prevalence of M. pneumoniae pneumonia (MP) was identified.
CONCLUSION
The increased number of patients with pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, pleural effusion, and empyema in 2011 and 2013-2014 resulted from an MP epidemic. We provide evidence that the frequency of confirmed cases of bacterial pneumonia and pneumococcal pneumonia has declined from 2007 to 2014, which can simultaneously reflect the effectiveness of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Keyword

Community acquired infections; Pneumonia; Interrupted time series analysis

MeSH Terms

Child
Communicable Diseases
Community-Acquired Infections
Emergencies*
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Empyema
Humans
Information Systems*
International Classification of Diseases
Interrupted Time Series Analysis
Korea*
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Pleural Effusion
Pneumonia*
Pneumonia, Bacterial
Pneumonia, Mycoplasma
Pneumonia, Pneumococcal
Pneumonia, Viral
Prevalence*
Retrospective Studies