Epidemiological analysis of severe lower respiratory tract viral infections in children in Shenzhen, 2017-2021
- Author:
CHEN Huabao
;
WU Yuhui
;
YE Xiaoting
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Severe pneumonia;
virus;
children;
intensive care unit
- From:
China Tropical Medicine
2024;24(7):772-
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Abstract: Objective To analyze the changes in the pathogen spectrum of severe lower respiratory tract viral infections in children before and during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to explore the epidemiological characteristics to provide a basis for preventing respiratory viral infections. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical data from patients with severe viral pneumonia admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Shenzhen Children's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021. Taking the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic as the cut-off point, it is separated into the period before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the period during the pandemic. Virus spectrum and clinical data between the two groups were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability method. Results A total of 712 cases of severe viral pneumonia were reported, including 469 males and 243 females, with a median age of 1.25 (0.50, 3.83) years. Among them, 495 cases were under 3 years old, and 626 cases were under 6 years old. The median duration of illness before admission to the PICU was 3.00 (2.00, 5.00) days. Hospital-acquired infections were seen in 6.88% of the children. Firty-four children had been hospitalized ≥2 times due to repeated infections. The detected viruses were influenza viruses (IVA and IVB) in 223 cases (160 IVA and 70 IVB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 215 cases, human rhinovirus (HRV) in 125 cases, adenovirus (ADV) in 91 cases, human parainfluenza viruses (HPIV) in 53 cases, human bocavirus (HBoV) in 34 cases, cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 26 cases, human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in 17 cases, and human coronavirus (HCoV) in 7 cases. A total of 634 cases were infected with a single virus, while 78 cases were infected with multiple viruses. The top three viruses, sorted by age, were as follows: <1 year: RSV, IVA/B, and HRV; 1-<3 years: IVA/B, RSV, and ADV; 3-<6 years and 6-<10 years: IVA/B, HRV, and ADV; 10-<14 years: HRV, IVA/B, and CMV; sorted by time distribution: March-May and June-August: RSV, IVA/B, and ADV; September-November: RSV, HRV, and IVA/B; December-February: IVA/B, RSV, and HRV. Before the COVID-19 epidemic, the top three viruses were IVA/B, RSV, and ADV, while during the COVID-19 epidemic were HRV, RSV, and HPIV. Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic, the viral spectrum of severe lower respiratory tract viral infections in the PICU changed. Before the pandemic, IVA/B, RSV, and ADV were prevalent, while during the pandemic, HRV, RSV, and HPIV were more prevalent. The viral spectrum varies among children of different age groups and in different months.
- Full text:20250620104410392323.Epidemiological analysis of severe lower respiratory tract viral infections in children in Shenzhen, 2017-2021.pdf