TY - JOUR
T1 - Bronchiolitis, epidemiological changes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
AU - Hospital Network for R. S. V. surveillance in Catalonia
AU - Guitart, Carmina
AU - Bobillo-Perez, Sara
AU - Alejandre, Carme
AU - Armero, Georgina
AU - Launes, Cristian
AU - Cambra, Francisco Jose
AU - Balaguer, Monica
AU - Jordan, Iolanda
AU - Pagarolas, Andrés Antón
AU - Vila, Jorgina
AU - Coma, Ermengol
AU - Pineda, Valentí
AU - Castellarnau, Ester
AU - Centelles-Serrano, Mª ªJ
AU - López, Nuria
AU - Vilaró, Ingrid Badia
N1 - Funding Information:
Authors would like to thank children and families who agreed being a part of the study. Authors of hospital Network for RSV surveillance in Catalonia: Andrés Antón Pagarolas, Jorgina Vila, Ermengol Coma, Iolanda Jordan, Valentí Pineda, Ester Castellarnau, Mª José Centelles-Serrano, Nuria López, Ingrid Badia Vilaró.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Background: Bronchiolitis is the most common viral infection of the lower respiratory tract in infants under 2 years of age. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the seasonal bronchiolitis peaks before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: Descriptive, prospective, and observational study. Patients with severe bronchiolitis admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a referral tertiary hospital between September 2010 and June 2021 were included. Demographic data were collected. Viral laboratory-confirmation was carried out. Each season was analyzed and compared. The daily average temperature was collected. Results: 1116 patients were recruited, 58.2% of them males. The median age was 49 days. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was isolated in 782 cases (70.1%). In April 2021, the first and only case of bronchiolitis caused by SARS-CoV-2 was identified. The pre- and post-pandemic periods were compared. There were statistically significant differences regarding: age, 47 vs. 73 days (p = 0.006), PICU and hospital length of stay (p = 0.024 and p = 0.001, respectively), and etiology (p = 0.031). The peak for bronchiolitis in 2020 was non-existent before week 52. A delayed peak was seen around week 26/2021. The mean temperature during the epidemic peak was 10ºC for the years of the last decade and is 23ºC for the present season. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has led to a clearly observable epidemiological change regarding acute bronchiolitis, which should be studied in detail. The influence of the environmental temperature does not seem to determine the viral circulation.
AB - Background: Bronchiolitis is the most common viral infection of the lower respiratory tract in infants under 2 years of age. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the seasonal bronchiolitis peaks before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: Descriptive, prospective, and observational study. Patients with severe bronchiolitis admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a referral tertiary hospital between September 2010 and June 2021 were included. Demographic data were collected. Viral laboratory-confirmation was carried out. Each season was analyzed and compared. The daily average temperature was collected. Results: 1116 patients were recruited, 58.2% of them males. The median age was 49 days. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was isolated in 782 cases (70.1%). In April 2021, the first and only case of bronchiolitis caused by SARS-CoV-2 was identified. The pre- and post-pandemic periods were compared. There were statistically significant differences regarding: age, 47 vs. 73 days (p = 0.006), PICU and hospital length of stay (p = 0.024 and p = 0.001, respectively), and etiology (p = 0.031). The peak for bronchiolitis in 2020 was non-existent before week 52. A delayed peak was seen around week 26/2021. The mean temperature during the epidemic peak was 10ºC for the years of the last decade and is 23ºC for the present season. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has led to a clearly observable epidemiological change regarding acute bronchiolitis, which should be studied in detail. The influence of the environmental temperature does not seem to determine the viral circulation.
KW - Bronchiolitis
KW - Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)
KW - Pandemic
KW - SARS-CoV-2
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123878083&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12879-022-07041-x
DO - 10.1186/s12879-022-07041-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 35073855
AN - SCOPUS:85123878083
SN - 1471-2334
VL - 22
JO - BMC Infectious Diseases
JF - BMC Infectious Diseases
IS - 1
M1 - 84
ER -
