Integral evaluation of hematological indicators in community-acquired pneumonia in children of different ages

Abstract

Community-acquired pneumonia is a serious problem in pediatric practice. It would be interesting to use an integral evaluation of hematological indicators in diagnosis verification, which can help to determine not only patient's condition severity, but also to predict the risk of infectious process complications as well as to assess the effectiveness of therapy. The purpose of our study was to investigate the variability and clinical significance of blood count and basic leukocyte indices in case of community-acquired pneumonia in children of different ages. Materials and methods. Blood counts of 238 children between the ages of 1 and 18 years with community-acquired pneumonia were retrospectively analyzed. The main clinical signs and blood count parameters were evaluated using standard laboratory techniques, as well as the main leukocyte indices were calculated: neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), leukocyte index of intoxication by Ya. Ya. Kalf-Kalif formula (LII). Results. The differences in both the disease clinical manifestations and hematological changes in children of different age groups were detected. Thus, in young children, the disease debut was characterized by a significant severity of the condition and a viral trigger factor prevailed. In adolescent, the trigger factor was bacterial and debut of the disease was characterized by a severe intoxication. The revealed peculiarities were confirmed by hematological criteria and calculation of the corresponding leukocyte indices. Conclusions. The calculation of hematological indices is an informative method assessing the condition in children of different ages with community-acquired pneumonia that should be further considered when choosing the type and amount of therapy.