Analysis of Childhood Pneumonia: A Comparison Between the Pre- and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Reference Hospital in Brazil

Figures & data

Table 1 Epidemiological Characteristics of Patients Under Five Years of Age Hospitalized with Community-Acquired Pneumonia in IMIP from 2018 to 2022

Variables	Total n (%)	Periods
		Pre-Pandemic (2018 to 2019)	During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020 to 2022)	p-value
		n (%)	n (%)
Age (months)
<12	239 (51.1)	192 (50.3)	47 (54.7)	0.462^a
≥ 12	229 (48.9)	190 (49.7)	39 (45.3)
Gender
Male	247 (52.8)	201 (52.6)	46 (53.5)	0.884^a
Female	221 (47.2)	181 (47.4)	40 (46.5)
Race
White	14 (3.0)	7 (1.8)	7 (8.1)	0.003^b,*
Black	2 (0.4)	1 (0.3)	1 (1.2)
Brown	451 (96.6)	373 (97.8)	78 (90.7)
Nutritional status
Very low weight for age/Low weight for age	18 (3.9)	14 (3.7)	4 (4.7)	0.052^b, *
Age-appropriate weight	444 (95.0)	365 (95.8)	79 (91.8)
High weight for age	5 (1.1)	2 (0.5)	3 (3.5)

Notes: (a) Chi-Square test to verify possible associations for categorical variables, * p < 0.05; (b) Fisher’s Exact to verify possible associations for categorical variables, * p < 0.05.

Abbreviation: COVID-19, coronavirus disease.

Table 2 Antibiotic Therapy for Patients Under Five Years of Age Hospitalized with Community-Acquired Pneumonia Before (2018 and 2019) and During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020 to 2022). Recife, 2023

Variables	Total n (%)	Periods
		Pre-Pandemic (2018 to 2019)	During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020 to 2022)	p-value^a
		n (%)	n (%)
Ampicillin or amoxacillin
Yes	200 (42.7)	158 (41.4)	42 (48.8)	0.205
No	268 (57.3)	224 (58.6)	44 (51.2)
Ampicillin + gentamicin
Yes	41 (8.8)	39 (10.2)	2 (2.3)	0.019*
No	427 (91.2)	343 (89.8)	84 (97.7)
Oxacillin + ceftriaxone
Yes	45 (9.6)	27 (7.1)	18 (20.9)	< 0.001*
No	423 (90.4)	355 (92.9)	68 (79.1)
Ceftriaxone
Yes	32 (6.8)	24 (6.3)	8 (9.3)	0.316
No	436 (93.2)	358 (93.7)	78 (90.7)
Other Schemes
Yes	126 (26.9)	111 (29.1)	15 (17.4)	0.028*
No	342 (73.1)	271 (70.9)	71 (82.6)

Notes: (a) Chi-Square test to verify possible associations for categorical variables, * p < 0.05.

Abbreviation: COVID-19, coronavirus disease.

Table 3 Frequency of Complicated Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients Under Five Years of Age Before (2018–2019) and During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020–2022). Recife, 2023

Variables	Total n (%)	Periods
		Pre-Pandemic (2018–2019)	During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020 to 2022)	p-value^a
		n (%)	n (%)
ICU admission
Yes	49 (10.5)	20 (5.3)	29 (34.1)	< 0.001*
No	416 (89.5)	360 (94.7)	56 (65.9)
Pleural effusion
Yes	67 (14.3)	46 (12.1)	21 (24.4)	0.003*
No	400 (85.7)	335 (87.9)	65 (75.6)
Pleural empyema
Yes	13 (2.8)	6 (1.6)	7 (8.2)	0.004*
No	452 (97.2)	374 (98.4)	78 (91.8)
Lung abscess
Yes	1 (0.2)	1 (0.3)	0 (0.0)	1.000
No	465 (99.8)	380 (99.7)	85 (100.0)
Necrotizing pneumonia
Yes	10 (2.1)	5 (1.3)	5 (5.9)	0.021*
No	456 (97.9)	376 (98.7)	80 (94.1)
Hospital length of stay
< 15	398 (85.4)	327 (86.1)	71 (82.6)	0.407
15	68 (14.6)	53 (13.9)	15 (17.4)

Notes: (a) Chi-Square test to verify possible associations for categorical variables, * p < 0.05.

Abbreviations: COVID-19, coronavirus disease; ICU, intensive care unit.

Table 4 Investigation of Influenza and COVID-19 Viruses as an Etiological Agent of Pneumonia in Patients Aged Below Five Years Hospitalized During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Variables	n	%
Clinical suspicion of influenza coinfection
Yes	15	17.6
No	70	82.4
RT-PCR result for influenza
Positive	1	9.1
Negative	10	90.9
Clinical suspicion of COVID-19 coinfection
Yes	70	85.4
No	12	14.6
COVID-19
Yes	68	82.9
No	14	17.1
RT-PCR result for COVID 19
Positive	7	10.4
Negative	60	89.6

Abbreviations: COVID-19, coronavírus disease; RT-PCR, reverse transcription coupled to the polymerase chain reaction.