Viral infections are much more common than bacterial ones in children diagnosed with pneumonia, and respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause, suggests a study of patients across Utah and Tennessee.
Viral infections were much more common than bacterial infections in the children in the study that had been diagnosed with pneumonia – 73% compared with 15%.
“It’s also important to understand how causes of pneumonia have changed so we can better approach the illness, which still leads to high rates of hospitalization among children.”
The researchers remind us there is a spike in community-acquired pneumonia during winter, because its spread is facilitated by people being in closer contact as they retreat indoors. The lung infection triggers:
- Persistent coughing
- Chest pain
- Fever
- Difficulty breathing.More than a dozen bacterial and viral pathogens were found in the children in the study, causing a fifth, 21%, to need treatment in intensive care.Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the most commonly detected pathogen, and affected the under-5s more than older children (37% versus 8%).
Children under the age of 5 years were also more vulnerable to:
Adenovirus (15% versus 3% in older children),Human metapneumovirus (15% versus 8%).
- “Effective antiviral vaccines or treatments, particularly for RSV infection, could have a mitigating effect on pneumonia in children.”
