Acute Respiratory Illness In Children Research Articles

Seasonality, Clinical Characteristics, and Outcomes of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease by Subtype Among Children Aged

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory illnesses in children. RSV can be broadly categorized into 2 major subtypes: A and B. RSV subtypes have been known to cocirculate with variability in different regions of the world. Clinical associations with viral subtype have been studied among children with conflicting findings such that no conclusive relationships between RSV subtype and severity have been established. During 2016-2020, children aged <5 years were enrolled in prospective surveillance in the emergency department or inpatient settings at 7 US pediatric medical centers. Surveillance data collection included parent/guardian interviews, chart reviews, and collection of midturbinate nasal plus/minus throat swabs for RSV (RSV-A, RSV-B, and untyped) using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Among 6398 RSV-positive children aged <5 years, 3424 (54%) had subtype RSV-A infections, 2602 (41%) had subtype RSV-B infections, and 272 (5%) were not typed, inconclusive, or mixed infections. In both adjusted and unadjusted analyses, RSV-A-positive children were more likely to be hospitalized, as well as when restricted to <1 year. By season, RSV-A and RSV-B cocirculated in varying levels, with 1 subtype dominating proportionally. Findings indicate that RSV-A and RSV-B may only be marginally clinically distinguishable, but both subtypes are associated with medically attended illness in children aged <5 years. Furthermore, circulation of RSV subtypes varies substantially each year, seasonally and geographically. With introduction of new RSV prevention products, this highlights the importance of continued monitoring of RSV-A and RSV-B subtypes.

DeepBreath—automated detection of respiratory pathology from lung auscultation in 572 pediatric outpatients across 5 countries

The interpretation of lung auscultation is highly subjective and relies on non-specific nomenclature. Computer-aided analysis has the potential to better standardize and automate evaluation. We used 35.9 hours of auscultation audio from 572 pediatric outpatients to develop DeepBreath : a deep learning model identifying the audible signatures of acute respiratory illness in children. It comprises a convolutional neural network followed by a logistic regression classifier, aggregating estimates on recordings from eight thoracic sites into a single prediction at the patient-level. Patients were either healthy controls (29%) or had one of three acute respiratory illnesses (71%) including pneumonia, wheezing disorders (bronchitis/asthma), and bronchiolitis). To ensure objective estimates on model generalisability, DeepBreath is trained on patients from two countries (Switzerland, Brazil), and results are reported on an internal 5-fold cross-validation as well as externally validated (extval) on three other countries (Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco). DeepBreath differentiated healthy and pathological breathing with an Area Under the Receiver-Operator Characteristic (AUROC) of 0.93 (standard deviation [SD] ± 0.01 on internal validation). Similarly promising results were obtained for pneumonia (AUROC 0.75 ± 0.10), wheezing disorders (AUROC 0.91 ± 0.03), and bronchiolitis (AUROC 0.94 ± 0.02). Extval AUROCs were 0.89, 0.74, 0.74 and 0.87 respectively. All either matched or were significant improvements on a clinical baseline model using age and respiratory rate. Temporal attention showed clear alignment between model prediction and independently annotated respiratory cycles, providing evidence that DeepBreath extracts physiologically meaningful representations. DeepBreath provides a framework for interpretable deep learning to identify the objective audio signatures of respiratory pathology.

Epidemiologic, clinical, and genetic characteristics of influenza C virus infections among outpatients and inpatients in Sendai, Japan from 2006 to 2020.

Influenza C virus is a pathogen that causes acute respiratory illness in children. The clinical information about this virus is limited because of the small number of isolated viruses compared to influenza A or B viruses. A total of 60 influenza C viruses were isolated by clinical tests using cell culture methods conducted in one hospital and one clinic during the 15 years from 2006 to 2020. These 60 cases were retrospectively analyzed by comparing outpatients and inpatients. Moreover, isolated viruses were analyzed for genomic changes during the study period. All were younger than 7 years, and 73% of inpatients (19 out of 26) were under 2 years of age. A significant difference was found in the frequency of pneumonia, accounting for 45% and 4% of inpatients and outpatients, respectively. Most of the viruses isolated from 2006 to 2012 belonged to the S/A sublineage of the C/Sao Paulo lineage, but three sublineage viruses, including the S/A sublineage with K190N mutation, S/V sublineage, and C/Kanagawa lineage, have cocirculated since 2014. Moreover, S/A sublineage viruses were undergoing reassortment since 2014, suggesting significant changes in the virus, both antigenically and genetically. Of the 10 strains from patients with pneumonia, 7 were in the S/A sublineage, which had circulated from 2006 to 2012. Infants under 2 years of age were more likely to be hospitalized with pneumonia. The genomic changes that occurred in 2014 were suggested to affect the ability of the virus to spread.

Household level of air pollution and its impact on the occurrence of Acute Respiratory Illness among children under five: secondary analysis of Demographic and Health Survey in West Africa

BackgroundOne out of ten deaths of children under five are attributable to indoor air pollution. And Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI) is among the direct causes.ObjectiveThis study showed the possibilities of characterizing indoor air pollution in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) area and it also made it possible to estimate its impact on the occurrence of ARI in children under five.MethodsIt has been a secondary analysis based on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) from WAEMU countries’ data.. “Household level of air pollution” is the created composite variable, from questions on the degradation factors of indoor air quality (domestic combustion processes) which served to characterize indoor air pollution and to measure its impact by a logistic regression.ResultsBurkina Faso stands out with a greater number of households with a high level of pollution (63.7%) followed by Benin (43.7%) then Togo (43.0%). The main exposure factor "Household level of air pollution" was associated with ARI symptoms (Togo: prevalence = 51.3%; chi-squared test’s p-value < 0.001). Exposure to high level of pollution constitutes a risk (AOR [95 CI]), even though it is not significant ( Ivory Coast: 1.29 [0.72–2.30], Senegal: 1.39 [0.94–2.05] and Togo: 1.15 [0.67–1.95]) and this could be explained by the high infectious etiology of the ARI.

Approach to Acute Respiratory Illness in Children with Hematological Malignancy: A Prospective Study Evaluating Utility of CT Scan

Abstract Introduction Various pulmonary complications can occur in children with hematological malignancies including both infection and malignant disease infiltration of pulmonary parenchyma. Objectives To assess the role of CT scan in determining the etiology of acute pulmonary complications in children with hematological malignancies. Materials and Methods All children &lt; 17 years with newly diagnosed hematological malignancy with respiratory symptoms (Group A) along with children who developed fever with persistent respiratory symptoms as well as worsening chest radiographs during treatment (Group B) and underwent CECT thorax, from February 2019 to July 2020 were enrolled. The final diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical history, laboratory as well as radiological investigations and treatment response. Results Thirty-seven children with mean age of 7.5 ± 3.5 years and male to female ratio of 1.3:1 who underwent CECT thorax were included in our study. For newly diagnosed cases, i.e., Group A (n = 8), the most common cause of respiratory symptoms as identified on CECT thorax was pulmonary tumoral infiltration (n = 5) followed by tuberculosis (n = 3). However, in Group B (n = 29) the cause of persistent respiratory symptoms was identified as infection (n = 17) followed by leukemic infiltration (n = 12). Thus, chest CT could accurately identify pulmonary tuberculosis, fungal pneumonia, bacterial infection, and pulmonary tumoral infiltrates. Conclusion CT scan can be used as an adjunctive tool for prompt diagnosis and management of pulmonary complications in children with persistent respiratory symptoms as they are often non-specific.

Analysis of Clinical Related Factors of Severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia in Children Based on Imaging Diagnosis.

Severe pneumonia is a common acute respiratory disease in children, and it has a rapid onset and violent onset, which often affects the whole body. Moreover, typical clinical manifestations and signs often cannot be taken seriously or covered up in clinical work. Due to the short time for treatment, it is easy to cause improper diagnosis and treatment, aggravate the disease and further deteriorate, and even threaten the life of the child. In order to achieve early intervention and treatment of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children, reduce or shorten the course of the disease, and improve the cure rate, this paper combines the imaging diagnosis to study the analysis of clinical related factors of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children. In addition, this paper analyzes the experimental data with hospital case samples, conducts statistical research on the analysis of clinical related factors of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children, and proposes effective coping strategies.

Safety of corticosteroids in the treatment of acute respiratory disease in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BackgroundOral corticosteroids are often used to treat acute asthma or asthma caused by respiratory tract infection in adult patients, but the effect of oral corticosteroids in young children is still controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of controlled clinical studies to examine the effect of oral corticosteroids in children with respiratory diseases.MethodsEmbase, PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, ClinicalTrials.org from January 2000 to August 2021 were searched for randomized control trials related to the treatment of pediatric respiratory diseases with corticosteroid drugs using the keywords “corticosteroids” and “acute respiratory diseases”. After screening the articles, Revman 5.4 software was used for the analysis.ResultsA total of 8 articles (comprising 2,327 patients, 4 kinds of corticosteroids, and 3 types of pediatric respiratory disease) were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that the length of hospital stay of patients in the experimental group treated with corticosteroids was shorter than that of patients in the control group [mean difference =–2.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): –2.91, –1.14; P<0.00001]. Further, the number and proportion of uncured patients after 3 days of treatment were lower in the experimental group than the control group [odds ratio (OR) =0.55, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.72; P<0.00001]. There were no differences in relation to adverse reactions (OR =0.57, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.07; P=0.08), and the readmission rate between the experimental and control groups (OR =0.94, 95% CI: 0.66, 1.34; P=0.75).DiscussionCorticosteroid use in the treatment of respiratory diseases in children can significantly shorten hospitalization time and increase the cure rate without increasing adverse reactions.

Актуальні питання з проведення антибактеріальної терапії у дітей із гострими респіраторними захворюваннями

У статті розглянуті питання проведення антибактеріальної терапії у дітей із гострими респіраторними захворюваннями (ГРЗ): обґрунтованість призначення, вибір стартового антибіотика і методики терапії. Наведено аналіз 369 історій хвороби дітей, які перебували на стаціонарному лікуванні з приводу гострих респіраторних вірусних інфекцій, бронхітів і пневмоній. Відзначено, що у третини дітей із ГРЗ призначення антибактеріальної терапії було необґрунтованим і передчасним. Як стартовий антибіотик при терапії ГРЗ домінують цефалоспорини II і III поколінь. Виявлено нечасте використання тактики ступеневої терапії і переважно парентеральне призначення антибіотиків.

Updates in Diagnosis and Management of Croup

Croup is a common respiratory disease that affects 3% of children aged six months to three years. It represents 7% of annual hospital admissions for fever and/or acute respiratory disease in children under the age of five. Boys are more susceptible than girls to the condition, with an overall male/female predominance of 1.4/1. Viruses are detected in up to 80% of patients with croup with identifiable pathogens. The onset of symptoms is usually sudden and usually occurs at night: stridor, hoarse voice and respiratory distress are often seen due to upper airway obstruction. Croup is a clinical diagnosis, children with an uncertain diagnosis, anterior and lateral soft-tissue neck radiographs may be useful to support an alternative diagnosis. Management includes: general care, humidified air, heliox, corticosteroids, and epinephrine, Objective: This study aimed to discuss croup in terms of its etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, assessment, and finally management.

Acute Respiratory Illnesses in Children in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Prospective Multicenter Study.

Nonpharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 likely have a role in decreasing viral acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs). We aimed to assess the frequency of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza ARIs before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This study was a prospective, multicenter, population-based ARI surveillance, including children seen in the emergency departments and inpatient settings in 7 US cities for ARI. Respiratory samples were collected and evaluated by molecular testing. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate the association between community mitigation and number of eligible and proportion of RSV and influenza cases. Overall, 45 759 children were eligible; 25 415 were enrolled and tested; 25% and 14% were RSV-positive and influenza-positive, respectively. In 2020, we noted a decrease in eligible and enrolled ARI subjects after community mitigation measures were introduced, with no RSV or influenza detection from April 5, 2020, to April 30, 2020. Compared with 2016-2019, there was an average of 10.6 fewer eligible ARI cases per week per site and 63.9% and 45.8% lower odds of patients testing positive for RSV and influenza, respectively, during the 2020 community mitigation period. In all sites except Seattle, the proportions of positive tests for RSV and influenza in the 2020 community mitigation period were lower than predicted. Between March and April 2020, rapid declines in ARI cases and the proportions of RSV and influenza in children were consistently noted across 7 US cities, which could be attributable to community mitigation measures against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Natural killer cells contribute to enhanced respiratory disease after oil-in-water emulsion adjuvanted vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus and infection

ABSTRACT Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection caused severe acute respiratory disease in children and the elderly. There is no licensed vaccine. It has been a challenging problem to avoid vaccine enhanced respiratory disease in developing a safe and effective RSV vaccine. Here, we investigated the impact of MF59-like oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant Addavax on the vaccine efficacy of inactivated split RSV (sRSV) and the roles of natural killer (NK) cells in enhanced respiratory disease in sRSV vaccinated mice after RSV infection. Addavax-adjuvanted sRSV vaccination induced higher levels of IgG1 isotype antibodies and more effective lung viral clearance upon RSV infection but promoted enhanced respiratory disease of weight loss, pulmonary inflammation, and NK and NK T (NKT) cell infiltrations in the lungs. Antibody treatment depleting NK cells prior to RSV infection resulted in preventing severe weight loss and histopathology, as well as attenuating infiltration of dendritic cell subsets and TNF-α+ T cells in the lungs. This study demonstrated the impacts of oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant on sRSV vaccination and the potential roles of NK and NKT cells in protection and respiratory disease after adjuvanted RSV vaccination and infection in a mouse model.

78. Acute Respiratory Illnesses in Children During the sars-cov-2 Pandemic: A Prospective Multicenter Surveillance Study

BackgroundA state of emergency was declared in the United States (US) on March 13, 2020 in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Healthcare providers had to alter practice patterns and research priorities. We assessed the frequency of acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) in children, notably those due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza, before and during the pandemic.MethodsWe conducted multi-center active prospective ARI surveillance in children as part of the New Vaccine Surveillance Network. Children < 18 years with fever and/or respiratory symptoms were enrolled in emergency department and inpatient settings at seven US medical centers over four respiratory seasons during 2016–2020 (Fig 1). Pandemic-related restrictions to patient access limited enrollment in some sites beginning March 2020. Respiratory specimens were collected and tested at each site for RSV and influenza by qRT-PCR. Data were analyzed by calendar weeks. We compared the cumulative proportions of RSV and influenza detection after week 13 in 2020 to the previous seasons using Fisher’s exact test.Figure 1. Numbers of Eligible and Enrolled Acute Respiratory Illness Cases, and Proportions of RSV and Influenza Detection by Week, Stratified by Study Season ResultsOf 44,247 eligible children, 25,375 (57%) were enrolled and tested for RSV and/or influenza. A total of 6351/25375 (25%) and 3446/25372 (14%) children were RSV and influenza-positive over the four seasons, respectively. In 2020, we noted a rapid drop in eligible and enrolled ARI subjects after weeks 11–13 (Fig 1). During weeks 13–18 in 2016–2019, the three-year average of eligible and enrolled subjects was 1802 and 978, respectively. However, over the same period in 2020, there were 675 eligible and 278 enrolled subjects, representing declines of 62.5% and 71.6% respectively (Fig 1). In 2020, there were no RSV or influenza cases detected in weeks 15–18, and the cumulative proportions of RSV and influenza detection after week 13 were lower compared to previous seasons (p< 0.001) (Figs 1 and 2).Figure 2. Cumulative Proportions of Weekly RSV and Influenza Detection by Study Season ConclusionThere was a considerable decline in ARI visits and the proportion of RSV and influenza detection across seven distinct geographic sites during the pandemic compared with previous seasons. These findings might be attributable to social distancing measures to lessen the spread of SARS-CoV-2, changes in healthcare-seeking behaviors, and limited access to medical care.Disclosures Zaid Haddadin, MD, CDC (Grant/Research Support, Research Grant or Support)Quidel Corporation (Grant/Research Support, Research Grant or Support)sanofi pasteur (Grant/Research Support, Research Grant or Support) John V. Williams, MD, GlaxoSmithKline (Advisor or Review Panel member)IDConnect (Advisor or Review Panel member)Quidel (Advisor or Review Panel member) Christopher J. Harrison, MD, GSK (Grant/Research Support, Infant menigiciccal B conjugate vaccine trial)Merck (Research Grant or Support, Infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccine trial) Janet A. Englund, MD, AstraZeneca (Scientific Research Study Investigator)GSK group of companies (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Meissa vaccines (Consultant)Merck (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Sanofi Pasteur (Consultant) Natasha B. Halasa, MD, MPH, Genentech (Other Financial or Material Support, I receive an honorarium for lectures - it’s a education grant, supported by genetech)Karius (Consultant)Moderna (Consultant)Quidel (Grant/Research Support, Research Grant or Support)Sanofi (Grant/Research Support, Research Grant or Support)

Assessing the epidemiology and seasonality of influenza among children under two hospitalized in Amman, Jordan, 2010-2013.

BackgroundThe disease burden of influenza‐associated hospitalizations among children in Jordan is not well established. We aimed to characterize hospitalizations attributed to influenza in a pediatric population.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional study from our viral surveillance cohort in children under 2 years hospitalized with acute respiratory symptoms and/or fever from March 2010 to March 2013. We collected demographic and clinical characteristics, and calculated the frequency of children who met the severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) criteria. Nasal specimens were tested using real‐time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to detect influenza A, B, or C. Further subtyping for influenza A‐positive isolates was conducted.ResultsOf the 3168 children enrolled in our study, 119 (4%) were influenza‐positive. Influenza types and subtypes varied by season but were predominantly detected between December and February. Codetection of multiple respiratory pathogens was identified in 58% of children with the majority occurring among those <6 months. Bronchopneumonia and rule‐out sepsis were the most common admission diagnoses, with influenza A accounting for over 2/3 of children with a rule‐out sepsis admission status. One‐third of children under 6 months compared to 3/4 of children 6‐23 months met the SARI criteria.ConclusionsInfluenza was an important cause of acute respiratory illness in children under 2 years. Children <6 months had the highest burden of influenza‐associated hospitalizations and were less likely to meet the SARI global surveillance case definition. Additional surveillance is needed in the Middle East to determine the true influenza burden on a global scale.

Endemic Non–SARS-CoV-2 Human Coronaviruses in a Community-Based Australian Birth Cohort

The coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 pandemic has drawn attention to the CoV virus family. However, in community settings, there is limited information on these viruses in healthy children. We explored the epidemiology of the 4 endemic (non-severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV 2) human coronaviruses (HCoVs) by species, including acute illness episodes, risk factors, and health care burden in Australian children in the first 2 years of life. The Observational Research in Childhood Infectious Diseases community-based cohort was a prospective study of acute respiratory illnesses in children from birth until their second birthday. Parents recorded daily symptoms, maintained an illness-burden diary, and collected weekly nasal swabs, which were tested for 17 respiratory viruses, including HCoVs, by real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. Overall, 158 children participating in Observational Research in Childhood Infectious Diseases provided 11 126 weekly swabs, of which 168 were HCoV-positive involving 130 incident episodes. HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-OC43 were most commonly detected, accounting for two-thirds of episodes. Whereas 30 children had different HCoVs detected on different occasions, 7 were reinfected with the same species. HCoV incidence in the first 2 years of life was 0.76 episodes per child-year (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63 to 0.91), being greatest in the second year (1.06; 95% CI 0.84 to 1.33) and during winter (1.32; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.71). Fifty percent of HCoV episodes were symptomatic, and 24.2% led to health care contact. In children, HCoV infections are common, recurrent, and frequently asymptomatic. In future studies, researchers should determine transmission pathways and immune mechanisms.

Can Acute Cough Characteristics From Sound Recordings Differentiate Common Respiratory Illnesses in Children?: A Comparative Prospective Study

Acute respiratory illnesses cause substantial morbidity worldwide. Cough is a common symptom in these childhood respiratory illnesses, but no large cohort data are available on whether various cough characteristics can differentiate between these etiologies. Can various clinically based cough characteristics (frequency [daytime/ nighttime], the sound itself, or type [wet/dry]) be used to differentiate common etiologies (asthma, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, other acute respiratory infections) of acute cough in children? Between 2017 and 2019, children aged 2weeks to ≤16 years, hospitalized with asthma, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, other acute respiratory infections, or control subjects were enrolled. Spontaneous coughs were digitally recorded over 24 hours except for the control subjects, who provided three voluntary coughs. Coughs were extracted and frequency defined (coughs/hour). Cough sounds and type were assessed independently by two observers blinded to the clinical data. Cough scored by a respiratory specialist was compared with discharge diagnosis using agreement (Cohen's kappa coefficient [қ]), sensitivity, and specificity. Caregiver-reported cough scores were related with objective cough frequency using Spearman coefficient (rs). A cohort of 148 children (n= 118 with respiratory illnesses, n= 30 control subjects), median age= 2.0 years (interquartile range, 0.7-3.9), 58%males, and 50%First Nations children were enrolled. In those with respiratory illnesses, caregiver-reported cough scores and wet cough (range, 42%-63%) was similar. Overall agreement in diagnosis between the respiratory specialist and discharge diagnosis was slight (қ= 0.13; 95%CI, 0.03 to 0.22). Among diagnoses, specificity (8%-74%) and sensitivity (53%-100%) varied. Interrater agreement in cough type (wet/dry) between blinded observers was almost perfect (қ= 0.89; 95%CI, 0.81 to 0.97). Objective cough frequency was significantly correlated with reported cough scores using visual analog scale (rs= 0.43; bias-corrected 95%CI, 0.25 to 0.56) and verbal categorical description daytime score (rs= 0.39; bias-corrected 95%CI, 0.22 to 0.54). Cough characteristics alone are not distinct enough to accurately differentiate between common acute respiratory illnesses in children.

Antigenic changes among the predominantly circulating C/Sao Paulo lineage strains of influenza C virus in Yamagata, Japan, between 2015 and 2018

Influenza C virus is a pathogen that causes acute respiratory illness in children and results in the hospitalization of infants. The antigenicity of the hemagglutinin esterase (HE) glycoprotein is highly stable, and it is not yet known whether antigenic changes contribute to the worldwide transmission and the occurrence of outbreaks of influenza C virus. Here, we performed antigenic analysis of 84 influenza C viruses isolated in Yamagata, Japan, during a 4-year period from 2015 to 2018 and analyzed sequence data for strains of the virus from Japan and many other parts of the world. Antigenic and phylogenetic analyses revealed that 83 strains belonged to the C/Sao Paulo lineage, and two sublineage strains, the Aichi99 sublineage and Victoria2012 sublineage, cocirculated between 2016 and 2018. Aichi99 sublineage strains exhibiting decreased reactivity with the monoclonal antibody YA3 became predominant after 2016, and these strains possessed the K190N mutation. Residue 190 is located in the 190-loop on the top side of the HE protein within a region that is known to show variation that does not impair the biological activity of the protein. The Aichi99 sublineage strains possessing the K190N mutation were detected after 2012 in Europe, Australia, the USA, and Asia as well as Japan. These observations suggest that antigenic variants with K190N mutations have circulated extensively around the world and caused outbreaks in Japan between 2016 and 2018. Our study indicated that the 190-loop is an important antigenic region, and the results suggested that changes in the 190-loop have contributed to the extensive transmission of the virus.

Роль родительских и персональных факторов риска в формировании гипертрофии глоточной миндалины у детей раннего и дошкольного возраста

Pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy of the second and higher degree occurs in infants and preschool children with the frequency of 5% and higher. The issue of exogenous and endogenous factors contributing to the formation of pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy in infants and preschool children remains relevant for the modern pediatrics. Adenotomy surgery cannot be performed with the same frequency, because it has intraoperative, early post-operative and long-term complications and consequences. The search for parental and personal controlled risk factors of formation of the pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy is an urgent task for pediatrics and pediatric otorhinolaryngology. The objective of the study was to assess the role of parental and personal risk factors on the occurrence of pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy in infants and preschool children. Materials and methods. The authors studied the extended medical history and DNA markers of pharyngeal biotope microorganisms in children with adenoid vegetations (228 children) and healthy children (63 children). The associations of social, medical, and microbiome predictors with the pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy were studied using multi-analysis. Results. It was revealed that the formation of the pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy is associated with integrative parental and personal risk factors, as well as with the high expression of Streptococcus pyogenes and Epstein–Barr virus in the pharyngeal biotope. The prescription of antibacterial and antiviral therapy in the treatment of acute respiratory disease in children with the pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy should be made taking into account the expression of Streptococcus pyogenes and Epstein–Barr virus.

Respiratory Virus Co-infection in Acute Respiratory Infections in Children.

Purpose of ReviewThis investigation aims to understand the role and burden of viral co-infections for acute respiratory illnesses in children. Co-infection can be either viral-viral or viral-bacterial and with new technology there is more information on the role they play on the health of children.Recent FindingsWith the proliferation of multiplex PCR for rapid diagnosis of multiple viruses as well as innovations on identification of bacterial infections, research has been attempting to discover how these co-infections affect each other and the host. Studies are aiming to discern if the epidemiology of viruses seen at a population level is related to the interaction between different viruses on a host level. Studies are also attempting to discover the burden of morbidity and mortality of these viral-viral co-infections on the pediatric population. It is also becoming important to understand the interplay of certain viruses with specific bacteria and understanding the impact of viral-bacterial co-infections.SummaryRSV continues to contribute to a large burden of disease for pediatric patients with acute respiratory illnesses. However, recent literature suggests that viral-viral co-infections do not add to this burden and might, in some cases, be protective of severe disease. Viral-bacterial co-infections, on the other hand, are most likely adding to the burden of morbidity in pediatric patients because of the synergistic way they can infect the nasopharyngeal space. Future research needs to focus on confirming these conclusions as it could affect hospital cohorting, role of molecular testing, and therapeutic interventions.

Diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory illness in children under five in primary care in low-, middle-, and high-income countries: A descriptive FRESH AIR study.

BackgroundRespiratory disease and, specifically, pneumonia, is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in young children. Diagnosis of both pneumonia and asthma in primary care rests principally on clinical signs, history taking, and bronchodilator responsiveness. This study aimed to describe clinical practices in diverse global primary care settings concerning differential diagnosis of respiratory disease in young children, especially between pneumonia and asthma.MethodsHealth professionals in Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, and Uganda were observed during consultations with children aged 2–59 months, presenting with cough and/or difficult breathing. Data were analyzed descriptively and included consultation duration, practices, diagnoses and availability/use of medications and equipment. The study is part of the European Horizon 2020 FRESH AIR project.ResultsIn total, 771 consultations by 127 health professionals at 74 facilities in the four countries were observed. Consultations were shorter in Vietnam and Uganda (3 to 4 minutes) compared to Greece and Kyrgyzstan (15 to 20 minutes). History taking was most comprehensive in Greece. Clinical examination was more comprehensive in Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan and less in Uganda. Viral upper respiratory tract infections were the most common diagnoses (41.7% to 67%). Pneumonia was diagnosed frequently in Uganda (16.3% of children), and rarely in other countries (0.8% to 2.9%). Asthma diagnosis was rare (0% to 2.8%). Antibiotics were prescribed frequently in all countries (32% to 69%). Short acting β-agonist trials were seldom available and used during consultations in Kyrgyzstan (0%) and Uganda (1.8%), and often in Greece (38.9%) and Vietnam (12.6%).ConclusionsDuration and comprehensiveness of clinical consultations observed in this study seemed insufficient to guide respiratory diagnosis in young children. Appropriate treatment options may further not be available in certain studied settings. Actions aiming at educating and raising professional awareness, along with developing easy-to-use tools to support diagnosis and a general strengthening of health systems are important goals.

Burden of Human Metapneumovirus and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections in Asthmatic Children.

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the leading causes of acute respiratory illness in children. Clinical burden of each infection on the respiratory distress in asthmatic patients remains unclear. The purpose of the study was to clarify the effect of these infections on the severity of asthmatic children in the seasonal outbreaks. A total of 1,217 pediatric inpatients with hMPV (n = 114) or RSV (n = 1,103) infection in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, between 2011 and 2014 were enrolled. Bronchial asthma was defined as having more than 3 episodes of wheezing illness over 1 year of age. Infection was determined by the positive antigen test for each virus in the nasal specimens. The number of patients peaked at age 12-15 months in hMPV infection and at age 0-3 months in RSV infection. The proportion of hypoxic patients (40-50%) did not differ at any age between hMPV-infected and RSV-infected children. In the analysis of date from > 1 year old patients with hypoxia, hMPV-infection group was older (P = 0.036), and more frequently had history of asthma (P = 0.015) or abnormal chest roentgenogram (P < 0.001) than RSV-infection group. Multivariate analysis indicated that the hypoxia-associated factors were history of asthma in both hMPV (odds ratio [OR]: 15.8; P < 0.001) and RSV infections (OR, 2.2; P = 0.005), higher body temperature in hMPV infection (OR, 2.2; P = 0.009), and younger age in RSV infection (OR, 1.4; P = 0.004). Outbreaks of hMPV, rather than, RSV infection may have a greater impact on the development of hypoxic respiratory illness in asthmatic children.