Clinical, radiographic and hematological characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical, hematological and radiographic characteristics of children hospitalized for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.


METHODS
The study population consisted of 190 children between 3 months and 16 years old, hospitalized for radiographically confirmed pneumonia. Patients were divided into two groups, to wit: 95 children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, as diagnosed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method; and 95 children with pneumonia caused by other etiologic agents. Using a validated scoring system, the clinical, hematological and radiographic findings of both groups were compared to differentiate Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (group 1) from pneumonia caused by other etiologic agents (group 2), itself divided into two groups, bacterial (n = 75) and viral (n = 20).


RESULTS
Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia was found most often in girls (p < 0.01), older children (p < 0.01), and patients with dry cough (p < 0.01) and extrapulmonary manifestations (p < 0.01). The clinical, hematological and radiographic variables of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (mean score = 6.95) scored between those found in bacterial (mean score = 8.27) and viral pneumonia (mean score = 0.90).


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that the scoring system can contribute to the presumptive diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and help differentiate pneumonic status caused by other etiologic agents.
Universidade Estadual de Campinas, SP, Brazil. lvervloet@uol.com.br
Letícia Alves
LA
Vervloet
Paulo Augusto Moreira
PA
Camargos
Damião Ranulfo Fernandes
DR
Soares
Gabriel Antônio de
GA
Oliveira
Janúncio Nunes de
JN
Oliveira
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D011859:Radiography