Age-Dependent Clinical Characteristics of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections in Young Hospitalized Children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

Abstract

Introduction

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infection (LRTI) in children. The main clinical manifestations are fever, cough, wheezing, and intercostal retractions. Its age-dependent clinical characteristics remain to be defined.

Objective

We investigated whether HRSV caused any age-related differences in clinical manifestations of LRTI.

Methods

We enrolled 130 hospitalized children with LRTI caused by HRSV. These were stratified into four age groups. The main signs and symptoms and rates thereof were compared across the four age groups.

Results

The incidence of pneumonia was the same in all four age groups. Patients in the 1–6 months old group experienced fever and the highest body temperature ≥ 38.5°C less frequently than patients in other age groups.The frequency of fever increased with age among the patients under 24 months old. Children over 12 months old experienced less wheezing, tachypnoea, hypoxia, and intercostal retractions than children in the 1–6 months old group.

Conclusion

HRSV caused age-related differences in clinical manifestations of LRTI. Reduced fever responses among patients 6 months old and younger during RSV infection does not implicate less severity, wheezing, tachypnoea, hypoxia, and intercostal retractions are the main clinical manifestations, Fever responses were enhanced with advancing age among children under 24 months old.

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© 2022 Li et al. This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited, and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commerical (unported, v3.0) License. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed.

Keywords:

• human respiratory syncytial virus
• lower respiratory infections
• clinical manifestation
• hospitalized children

Abbreviations

HRSV, Human respiratory syncytial virus; LRTI, Lower respiratory tract infections; SARI, Severe acute respiratory infection; PCR, Polymerase chain reaction, IQR:Interquartile range; ICU, Intensive care unit; LOS, Length of hospital stay; HFNC, High flow oxygen via nasal cannulae.

Data Sharing Statement

The key information and data generated and analyzed during this are given in this article.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Ethical Committee of Shenzhen Children’s Hospital (Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China) under registration number 2016013. All of the experiments were performed under the relevant guidelines and regulations. Guardians of all of the children included in this study provided written informed consent.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the Shenzhen Fund for Guangdong Provincial High-level Clinical Key Specialties (SZGSP012), Shenzhen Fundamental Research Program (JCYJ20190809170007587) and Shenzhen Key Medical Discipline Construction Fund (SZXK032) to Wenjian Wang, which had a role in the data collection and analysis and the manuscript writing, reviewing, and editing.