Abstract:

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in hospitalized children for evidence in clinical diagnosis and treatment of this infection. Methods Throat swab samples were collected from the children treated in Tongling People's Hospital due to respiratory infection between August 2022 and July 2023. Real time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the common respiratory pathogens, including RSV, human adenovirus, influenza A and B virus, parainfluenza virus type 1 and 3, human rhinovirus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Then RSV infection cases were analyzed for the population distribution, clinical symptoms, laboratory tests and clinical diagnosis. Results RSV infection was detected in 366 of the 3 145 throat swab samples collected from the pediatric patients, with a detection rate of 11.64%. In total, 208 were boys, and 158 girls. The age ranged from 1 month to 10 years, with a median age of 2 (1, 3) years. Most infection occurred in children aged 2 years old and below (218 cases, 59.56%), and the peak of the number of cases was seen in April and May in 2023 (276 cases, 75.41%). Among all cases, 318 cases (86.89%) were single RSV infection and 48 cases (13.11%) were mixed infection. The clinical symptoms of the cases were dominated by cough (345 cases, 94.26%), fever (312 cases, 85.25%) or wheezing (139 cases, 37.98%). Laboratory indicators, including white blood cell count, neutrophil ratio, lymphocyte ratio, monocyte ratio and platelet count, were generally within the normal range, whereas high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level in cases were mainly elevated (184 cases, 50.27%). The top three clinical diagnoses were bronchopneumonia (208 cases, 56.83%), acute bronchitis (93 cases, 25.41%) and acute bronchiolitis (39 cases, 10.66%). Conclusion RSV infection seems primarily affecting children under 2 years old and below, and the infection type is dominated by simple infection. The clinical pictures are mainly characterized by cough, fever, wheezing and elevated level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Clinical attention should be paid to reduce the risks of the infection progressing to severe condition.

Key words: Respiratory tract infection, Respiratory syncytial virus, Children, Clinical characteristics