Abstract:

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) pneumonia in children and the risk factors for severe hMPV pneumonia. Methods The clinical data of children with hMPV pneumonia hospitalized from October 2020 to March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into mild group and severe group for comparative analysis. Results A total of 558 patients (309 boys and 249 girls) with hMPV pneumonia were included, and the median age was 3.4 (1.7-4.4) years. There were 515 children in mild group and 43 in severe group. One hundred and nine children were complicated with underlying disease. Compared with the mild group, the severe group had a higher proportion of children younger than 3 years old and with a history of underlying diseases, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The main clinical manifestations of children with hMPV pneumonia were fever (85.0%), cough (96.4%), wheezing (39.8%) and pulmonary moist rales (74.0%). Extra-pulmonary manifestations such as vomiting were rare. One hundred and thirteen patients had bacterial infection, and Streptococcus pneumoniae was the commonest (54 cases). The rate of antibiotic use was higher in hospitalized children with hMPV pneumonia (50.7%, 283 cases). The proportion of wheezing, shortness of breath, wheezing sound, pleural effusion and atelectasis, the level of WBC and CRP in peripheral blood and the proportion of bacterial infection in the severe group were higher than those in the mild group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the mild group, the proportion of oxygen therapy, alveolar lavage, antibiotics and systemic glucocorticoids use in the severe group was higher, the hospital stay was longer, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age <3 years old, wheezing, complicated underlying diseases and CRP≥25mg/L were risk factors for severe hMPV pneumonia (P<0.05). Conclusions The main manifestations of hMPV are fever, cough, wheezing and moist rale in the lungs which is easy to be complicated with bacterial infection, but extra-pulmonary complications are rare and the overall prognosis is good. However, for children < 3 years old, children with wheezing, underlying disease, and elevated CRP need to be alert to severe pneumonia.

Key words: human metapneumovirus, pneumonia, hospitalized, child