Table1_Clinical characteristics and etiology of children with bronchiolitis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Suzhou, China.pdf

ObjectiveWe sought to compare the clinical characteristics and etiology of children with bronchiolitis in Suzhou before the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with those during the pandemic.
MethodsChildren who were hospitalized with bronchiolitis in the Department of Respiratory Disease, Children's Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively enrolled over 3 consecutive years (2019, 2020, and 2021) from February 1 to January 31. Medical records were reviewed for etiology, clinical manifestations, and laboratory examination results.
ResultsThe pathogen detection rate and the positive respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) detection rate were lowest in 2020 and highest in 2021. The rate of human rhinovirus detection in 2021 was higher than that in 2019 but similar to that in 2020. The RSV-positive rate differences among the 3 years varied by age group. Regarding the monthly distribution of RSV-positive cases over the 3-year study, all age groups showed a significant increase in the number of cases during the winter of 2021, and this increase started as early as October. With regard to clinical manifestations, the proportion of children presenting with stuffy nose rhinorrhea in 2021 [73.33% (165/225)] was greater than that in 2019 [48.61% (122/251)] and 2020 [57.06% (97/170)], while the proportion of children with gastrointestinal symptoms in 2021 [11.56% (26/225)] was smaller than that in 2019 [25.50% (64/251)] but similar to that in 2020 [17.06% (29/170)].
ConclusionsAfter the implementation of COVID-19 pandemic-related interventions, significantly lower pathogen detection and RSV-positive rates were observed in children with bronchiolitis in 2020. An upward trend in these rates was observed in 2021, coinciding with the relaxation of COVID-19 prevention measures. Strengthening infection control and surveillance systems is extremely important for future work.

研究目的
我们旨在比较新型冠状病毒肺炎（coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19）大流行前后，苏州地区毛细支气管炎患儿的临床特征与病因学差异。

研究方法
连续3年（2019年2月1日至2022年1月31日），回顾性纳入苏州大学附属儿童医院呼吸科因毛细支气管炎住院的患儿。查阅其病历资料，收集病因、临床表现及实验室检查结果相关数据。

研究结果
2020年的病原体总检出率及呼吸道合胞病毒（respiratory syncytial virus, RSV）阳性检出率最低，2021年则最高。2021年人鼻病毒检出率高于2019年，但与2020年相近。三年间RSV阳性率的差异因年龄组不同而存在变化。对三年间RSV阳性病例的月度分布分析显示，各年龄组患儿在2021年冬季的病例数均显著增加，且该增长早在2021年10月即已启动。在临床表现方面，2021年出现鼻塞、流涕症状的患儿占比[73.33%（165/225）]高于2019年[48.61%（122/251）]与2020年[57.06%（97/170）]；而2021年伴有胃肠道症状的患儿占比[11.56%（26/225）]低于2019年[25.50%（64/251）]，但与2020年[17.06%（29/170）]相近。

研究结论
在实施COVID-19大流行相关防控干预措施后，2020年毛细支气管炎患儿的病原体总检出率及RSV阳性率均显著降低；2021年随着COVID-19防控措施的放宽，上述指标呈现上升趋势。未来需进一步强化感染防控与监测体系建设，这对后续工作至关重要。