title: Risk factors of prolonged hospital stay in children with viral severe acute respiratory infections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severe acute lower respiratory infections (SARIs) are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in young children, especially in developing countries. The present study focused on detection of risk factors for prolonged hospital stays among children with viral SARIs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sentinel surveillance study was conducted at Cairo University Hospital (CUH) between February 2010 and May 2011. Nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) swabs were collected from all children admitted with SARIs. Viruses were identified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 1,046 children, 380 (36%) were positive for one or more viruses; these included respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (22.9%), adenovirus (6.2%), parainfluenza viruses (PIVs1-3) (5.1%), human metapneumovirus (HMPV) (4.5%), influenza A (1.4%), and influenza B (0.6%). Viral etiology was mainly detected in children under one year of age (88.9%). Prolonged length of stay was independently associated with the presence of cyanosis and underlying chronic illness (OR 7.4, CI: 1.8-30.32 [p = 0.005], OR 2.5, CI: 1.36-4.64 [p = 0.004], respectively). Virus type did not affect the length of hospital stay (p > 0.05). Oxygen therapy was required in 91% of the patients. A total of 43 patients (11.6%) required intensive care admission. Twenty-one patients (5.5%) died, and 15 of them (71.4%) had an underlying chronic illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrated the important burden of respiratory viruses as a cause of SARI in hospitalized children in a tertiary Egyptian hospital. Cyanosis and underlying chronic illness were significantly associated with prolonged length of stay.
authors.affiliation: Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. aaakholy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Amani A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: El Kholy
authors.forename: Nadia A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Mostafa
authors.forename: Aliaa Adel
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Seham Awad
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: El-Sherbini
authors.forename: Reem Ibrahim
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Rania Ismail
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Magdy
authors.forename: May Sherif
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Soliman
authors.forename: Mayar M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Said
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000821:virology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*