ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) in neonates caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and to analyze the factors associated with the severe infection.Methods:Clinical data of 399 ALRTI neonates with positive nucleic acids or antigen of RSV admitted to Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 2014 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed for their clinical cha-racteristics.They were divided into mild-to-moderate group and severe group according to the severity index (SI), and the clinical data of the 2 groups were compared.Relevant factors of severe ALRTI of RSV in neonates were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression. Results:(1) A total of 399 ALRTI neonates with RSV infection were included, involving 239 males (59.9%) and 160 females (40.1%) with a male-to-female ratio of 1.49∶1.00.There were 349 cases (87.5%) and 50 cases (12.5%) in the mild-to-moderate group and severe group, respectively.The disease mainly occurred from March to October.(2) There were significant differences in the preterm delivery [15 cases (4.3%) vs.9 cases (18.0%)], low birth weight [11 cases (3.2%) vs.6 cases (12.0%)], previous hospitalization history [12 cases (3.4%) vs.5 cases (10.0%)], and breastfeeding [167 cases (47.9%) vs.16 cases (32.0%)] between the mild-to-moderate group and severe group ( χ2=14.524, 8.394, 4.616 and 4.426, respectively, all P<0.05). (3) There were significant differences in fever [78 cases (22.4%) vs.18 cases (36.0%)], shortness of breath [156 cases (44.7%) vs.36 cases (72.0%)], poor appetite [48 cases (13.8%) vs.15 cases (30.0%)], wheezing [20 cases (5.7%) vs.10 cases (20.0%)], cyanosis [30 cases (8.0%) vs.16 cases (32.0%)] and mental status (irritability/malaise) [20 cases (5.7%) vs.8 cases (16.0%)], and duration of cough[(8.1±2.6) days vs.(9.4±2.9) days ] between the mild-to-moderate group and severe group ( χ2=4.460, 13.057, 8.682, 12.806, 23.486 and 7.068, t=-3.054, all P<0.05). Moist rales in the lungs [29 cases (58.0%) vs.114 cases (32.7%)] and three concave signs [14 cases (28.0%) vs.20 cases (5.7%)] were commonly found in the severe group, while pulmonary phlegm sounds [168 cases (48.1%) vs.14 cases (28.0%)]was commonly found in the mild-to-moderate group, and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=12.208, 27.823 and 7.149, respectively, all P<0.05). (4) Multifactorial analysis showed that premature delivery was an independent risk factor for the development of severe ALRTI caused by RSV in neonates ( OR=3.717, 95% CI: 1.257-10.987), and shortness of breath ( OR=2.216, 95% CI: 1.061-4.629), cyanosis ( OR=3.621, 95% CI: 1.638-8.004) and three concave signs ( OR=2.688, 95% CI: 1.077-6.711) may be early warning factors for the severe condition. Conclusions:Preterm infants with RSV infection are prone to develop into severe disease, and neonates with RSV infection with shortness of breath, cyanosis and three concave signs as symptoms of severe infection should be well concerned for a close monitoring.