Clinical features of pertussis and risk factors of severe pertussis in children / 中国小儿急救医学

ABSTRACT

Objective:To study the clinical features of children with pertussis and the risk factors of severe pertussis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed based on clinical data and laboratory examination results of hospitalized children with pertussis who admitted to the intensive care unit, respiratory department, and emergency general department at Hunan Children′s Hospital from January 2019 to March 2020.According to the age, the patients were divided into age ≤3 months group( n=58)and age >3 months group( n=64). According to sputum culture, 63 cases were divided into negative sputum culture group and 59 cases were positive sputum culture group.The patients were also divided into vaccinated group( n=19)and unvaccinated group( n=103). Severe disease was seen in 28 cases, and the other 94 cases had the modest disease.The clinical characteristics between two groups were compared, and the risk factors of severe pertussis pneumonia were analyzed. Results:The hospitalization days in age ≤3 months group was higher than that in age >3 months group.It was also found that shortness of breath, apnea, cyanosis after coughing, heart rate decline were more common in age ≤3 months group than those in age >3 months group( P<0.05). The incidences of respiratory failure and heart failure in positive sputum culture group were higher than those in negative sputum culture group.Clinical characteristics such as hospitalization days, hospitalization expenses, peak white blood cell count, peak lymphocyte count, and incidence of bacterial infection were higher in severe pertussis group than those in non-severe pertussis group( P<0.05). Four patients were treated with exchange blood transfusion, and one patient died.Logistic regression analysis revealed that fever, wheezing, cyanosis after coughing and white blood cell count>20×10 9/L were risk factors for severe pertussis.White blood cell count of 20×10 9/L and lymphocyte count of 14×10 9/L had the highest sensitivity and specificity in predicting severe pertussis(0.71, 0.78; 0.54, 0.79). Conclusion:The younger the children are, the more likely they have shortness of breath, apnea, cyanosis, heart rate falls, and the longer the hospital stay.Bacterial infection will aggravate pertussis.Patients with fever, wheezing, cyanosis after coughing, and white blood cell count>20×10 9/L are more likely to develop severe pertussis.The white blood cell count >20×10 9/L and the lymphocyte count >14×10 9/L are associated with severe pertussis.