Objective: to study the clinical features of metapneumovirus infection in children of different ages in a hospital.
Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of medical records of 142 patients aged 1 month to 14 years inclusive who were hospitalized in the period from January 2012 to April 2019. Metapneumovirus infection was confirmed by hMPV nucleic acid isolation by PCR in nasopharyngeal smears.
Results. Metapneumovirus infection is detected among hospitalized children with acute respiratory viral infections in 4,4% of cases. In the age structure, 72,2% are children under 4 years old, and the maximum incidence rate is among children aged 3 years of life. The leading clinical symptoms are cough in 93,0% of cases and rhinitis in 96,5% of cases.In 88,2% of children, the disease proceeds with an increase in temperature 38 C, including in 34,6% 39,5 C and above. Symptoms of gastrointestinal dysfunction in the form of vomiting and diarrhea develop in 26,1% and 22,5% of children, respectively. 78,2% of patients requiring hospitalization suffer hMPV infection with damage to the lower respiratory tract, including in the form of bronchitis in 85,6% of cases and pneumonia in 14,4% of cases. The disease is complicated by the development of bronchial obstructive syndrome in 38,7% and acute respiratory failure in 22,3% of cases. ARF and BOS are significantly more likely to develop in children of the first 3 years of life 71,0% versus 29,0% in children of the older age group (p = 0.038) and 69,8% against 30,2% (p = 0.007), respectively. In a clinical blood test for hMPV infection, leukopenia and leukocytosis are detected only in 3,5% and 12,7% of cases, respectively, as well as an increase in ESR in 23,9% of children. The level of CRP in the 93,0% of children was less than 20 mg/l.
Conclusions. Virological confirmation of metapneumovirus infection in hospitalized children with lower respiratory tract infections contributes to the formation of an adequate therapeutic tactic.
Clinical characteristics of acute viral lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalized children in Seoul, 1996-1998
