Impact of respiratory syncytial virus on hospital admissions in children younger than 3 years of age.
BACKGROUND
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main pathogen associated to acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children worldwide.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the contribution of RSV to hospital admissions in children <3 years of age from May 2003 through April 2005 in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey of children <3 years of age admitted to a public general hospital and detection of RSV in respiratory secretions of children with ARI.


RESULTS
There were 2036 children <3 years of age admitted to the hospital during the study period. The diagnosis at the time of admission was an ARI in 734 (36.1%) patients. RSV was detected in 153 (24.8%) of the 616 subjects who were tested. Children <1 year comprised 66% of admissions among children <3 years. RSV was detected in 26.9% of children with ARI <1 year; 21.5% of those 12-24 months of age and 15.25% of those 24-36 months old.


CONCLUSIONS
RSV was associated to 24.8% of ARI-related admissions in children <3 years of age. It is necessary to determine risk factors for RSV-related hospitalizations to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a preventive program for RSV infections in Mexico.
Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Central Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. dnoyola@uaslp.mx
Daniel E
DE
Noyola
Antonio
A
Zuviri-González
José A
JA
Castro-García
J Raúl
JR
Ochoa-Zavala
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons