Abstract
We carried out a prospective study of community-acquired pneumonias in childhood (1 month to 14 years) during 1984.Of a total of 215 children, 38 were serologically diagnosed by a micromethod technique of CF. between two paired serum samples. We found 23 RSV, 7 influenza A virus, 5 parainfluenza 3 and 3 adenovirus infections. The majority of them (88%) were attended as out-patients.
The following patterns were statistically significative for the RSV pneumonia : age ⩽ 3 years old, (p< 0,004), assistance to a day-care center (p< 0,001), presence of fever (p< 0,0075) and nasal discharge (p<0,04). We detected an epidemic outbreak of RSV infection in winter months, and in March of influenza A virus.
Other host and environmental factors such as sex, obesity, congenital malformations, gestational age, parenteral smoking, and social class had no relationship with the diversal aetiologies. Also other signs and symptoms such as cough, malaise, vomiting, tonsillitis and pharingitis had not relevant significance.
Chest X-rays showed a slight predominance of the lower and middle right lobes with no pathognomonic features. The clinical course was satisfactory in all cases and the resolution was always complete without complications.
As conclusion we will point out the high prevalence of RSV as responsible for pneumonias in the early years and the absence of specific epidemiological and clinical patterns of them.
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Puig, I., Nadal, J., Retana, A. et al. EPIDEMIC-LOGICAL AND CLINICAL PATTERNS OF VIRAL PNEUMONIAS. Pediatr Res 19, 1110 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00245
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00245