Correlation between clinical distribution characteristics of streptococcal pharyngitis in children and seasonal variations in Ziyang Area> / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the correlation between clinical distribution characteristics of streptococcal pharyngitis in children and seasonal variations in Ziyang area, so as to provide basis for disease prevention and control. Methods A multistage and stratified random sampling technique was used to investigate 583 children with streptococcal pharyngitis attending Ziyang first people's Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023. The clinical data were recorded. The pharyngeal specimens were cultured for streptococci test. The number of streptococcal pharyngitis cases per season was counted. The metereological conditions (average barometric pressure, temperature, rainfall, and wind speed) were recorded. Pearson method was used to discuss the correlation between metereological factors and streptococcal pharyngitis onset. Results A total of the 583 children, 329 were male and 254 were female. The main age of onset was 7-12 years old, with a total of 227 cases (38.94%), followed by 199 cases (34.13%) aged 3-6 years old, 126 cases (21.61%) aged 1-2 years old, and 31 cases (5.32%) under 1 year old. A total of 614 strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected, of which 479 strains of Streptococcus hemolyticus were dominant, accounting for 78.01%, followed by 175 strains of Streptococcus pyogenes, accounting for 28.50%. Seasonally, 192 cases of streptococcal pharyngitis occurred in spring, 51 in summer, 72 in autumn and 268 in winter. In Ziyang, spring and winter were characterized by high mean wind speeds and barometric pressure, while summer and autumn were characterized by high mean temperatures and heavy rainfall. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the prevalence rate streptococcal pharyngitis was positively correlated with average wind speed and barometric pressure (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with mean temperature and rainfall (P<0.05). Conclusion In Ziyang, streptococcal pharyngitis occurs mostly in children over 5 years old, and the main pathogen is Streptococcus hemolyticus. The onset of the disease is mostly in spring and winter, which is closely related to the seasonal variations of the region.