PURPOSE:
This study was conducted to compare clinical features between
Mycoplasma pneumonia and
viral pneumonia.
METHODS:
We retrospectively analyzed the
medical records of 428
patients requiring
hospitalization among
children younger than 18 years of age in 5
hospitals in
Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. There were 131
patients with M.
pneumonia and
virus coinfection, 167
patients with M.
pneumonia without
virus coinfection, and 130
patients with
viral pneumonia. All subjects had radiographic evidence of
pneumonia with specimens available for both M.
pneumonia and viral testing.
Virus was identified using the
polymerase chain reaction assay in a nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab. M. pneumoniae
pneumonia was diagnosed serologically.
RESULTS:
Human rhinovirus was detected in 60.3% (79 of 131) of
children with M.
pneumonia accompanied by
virus coinfection.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was detected in 38.2% (50 of 130) of
children with
viral pneumonia. The mean age was significantly lower in the
viral pneumonia group than in the M.
pneumonia group with and without
virus coinfection. The
sex distribution did not differ significantly among the 3 study groups. The
procalcitonin level was higher in
viral pneumonia and
erythrocyte sedimentation rate level was higher in the M.
pneumonia group although no significant difference was found in
C-reactive protein level between the M.
pneumonia and
viral pneumonia groups.
CONCLUSION:
Clinical features and inflammatory markers between M.
pneumonia and
viral pneumonia may be useful for the
treatment of
community-acquired
pneumonia.