Decreased Pediatric Viral Burden and Increased Rhinovirus Infection During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: Primary preventive nonpharmaceutical interventions were introduced to reduce viral transmission and disease spread at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, herein, we aimed to determine and assess the impact of the nonpharmaceutical interventions on bronchiolitis and varicella infection rates in the pediatric population during the pandemic compared to the previous four years. We also aimed to evaluate which viruses cause viral respiratory tract infections during the pandemic period.

Material and Methods: Diagnosis and laboratory data of the patients who were one month to 18 years of age were retrospectively retrieved from hospital records. The distribution of the number of patients with bronchiolitis and chickenpox diagnoses was shown monthly between January 2016 and December 2020. Viral agents detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the nasopharyngeal aspirate samples obtained at the first application of the patients during the pandemic period were investigated.

Results: The data of 2.254.877 pediatric patients admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to December 2020 were examined. There were 38.458 bronchiolitis and 954 chickenpox cases reported both as inpatients and outpatients. There was a 85.6% decrease in the rate of bronchiolitis compared to previous years, and chickenpox peak was not observed in the pandemic period. Rhinovirus was found to be the most common etiologic agent of bronchiolitis during the pandemic period and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) came second. A significant decrease in the frequency of influenza was also observed.

Conclusion: Our study reveals that the measures which curtail social life and prioritize social distancing prevent the spread of viral infections. It has also shown that there is an increase in the frequency of Rhinovirus infection during the pandemic period.

Keywords

• bronchiolitis
• chickenpox
• COVID-19
• Rhinovirus

COVİD-19 Pandemisi Sırasında Azalan Pediatrik Viral Yük ve Artan Rinovirüs Enfeksiyonu

Abstract

Amaç: COVID-19 pandemisinin başlangıcından itibaren viral bulaşı ve hastalık yayılmasını azaltmak ve engellemek amacıyla dünya genelinde olduğu gibi ülkemizde de medikal olmayan birincil önlemler alındı. Çalışmamızda bu önlemlerin çocuk hastalarda önceki dört yıla göre bronşiolit ve suçiçeği oranlarına etkisini belirlemeyi ve değerlendirmeyi, ayrıca pandemi döneminde viral solunum yolu enfeksiyonlarına hangi etkenlerin sebep olduğunu değerlendirmeyi amaçladık.

Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bir ay ile 18 yaş arasındaki hastaların tanı ve laboratuvar verileri geriye dönük olarak hastane bilgi sisteminden alındı. Bronşiolit ve suçiçeği tanılı hasta sayılarının Ocak 2016’ dan Aralık 2020’ ye kadar olan aylara göre dağılımı gösterildi. Pandemi döneminde, hastaların ilk başvurusunda alınan nazofaringeal aspirat örneklerinde polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) yöntemiyle saptanan viral etkenler araştırıldı.

Bulgular: Ocak 2016-Aralık 2020 tarihleri arasında hastanemize başvuran 2.254.877 çocuk hastanın verileri incelendi. Toplamda 38.458 bronşiolit ve 954 suçiçeği tanılı hasta vardı. Pandemi döneminde bronşiolit vakalarında önceki yıllara göre %85.6 oranında azalma görüldü ve önceki yıllarda görülen suçiçeği piklerinin hiçbiri görülmedi. Pandemi döneminde bronşiolit hastalarında en sık etkenin Rhinovirüs olduğu bulundu. Respiratuvar Sinsitiyal Virüs (RSV) ikinci sırada yer aldı. İnfluenza sıklığında da önemli bir azalma gözlendi.

Sonuç: Çalışmamız, sosyal hayatı kısıtlayan ve sosyal mesafeyi ön planda tutan önlemlerin viral enfeksiyonların yayılmasını engellediğini ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca pandemi döneminde Rhinovirüs enfeksiyonu sıklığında artış olduğunu göstermiştir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Bronşiolit, Suçiçeği, COVID-19, Rhinovirus

Keywords

• bronşiolit
• suçiçeği
• COVID-19
• Rhinovirus

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