Impact of social isolation due to COVID-19 on the seasonality of pediatric respiratory diseases

Abstract

Introduction Respiratory tract diseases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in children under the age of 5 years, constituting the highest rate of hospitalization in this age group. Objectives To determine the prevalence of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases in childhood in the last 5 years and to assess the impact of social isolation due to COVID-19 on the seasonal behavior of these diseases. Methods A cross-sectional clinical study was carried out, with a survey of all patients aged 0 to 17 years who were admitted with a diagnosis of respiratory diseases between January 2015 and July 2020. The database was delivered to the researchers anonymized. The variables used for analysis were date of admission, date of discharge, length of stay, age, sex and diagnosis. In order to make the analysis possible, the diagnoses were grouped into upper respiratory infection (URI), asthma / bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Results 2236 admissions were included in the study. Children under 5 years old account for 81% of hospitalizations for respiratory disease in our population. In the adjusted model, an average reduction of 38 hospitalizations was observed in the period of social isolation (coefficient: -37.66; 95% CI (- 68.17; -7.15); p = 0.016). Conclusion The social isolation measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically interfered with the seasonality of childhood respiratory diseases. This was reflected in the unexpected reduction in the number of hospitalizations in the pediatric population during this period.

Social distancing measures for COVID-19 are changing winter season

“…Similar data showing a decrease of common viral respiratory infections during the winter season have recently been reported in the southern hemisphere. [1][2][3][4] Our data refer to a single institute, covering paediatric population of the Trieste Province (about 230 000 inhabitants), limiting the generalisation of our findings. However, our results highlight the need for continuing surveillance for the delayed spread of such viruses during spring and summer.…”

Tympanostomies and tonsillar surgery in children during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Finland

“…The restrictions of the first wave decreased the number of pediatric respiratory infections and emergency room visits 3‐6 . Similarly, hospitalizations decreased 7,8 …”

Impact of nonpharmacological COVID‐19 interventions in hospitalizations for childhood pneumonia in Brazil

“…[2][3][4][5][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Chiu et al 25 investigated the impact of implemented infectious control strategies on the incidences of influenza, enterovirus infection, T A B L E 1 Total absolute number and incidence of hospitalizations for pneumonia from 2015 to 2020 in children under 14 years of age in Brazil (total) and Brazilian macroregions was observed in the period of social isolation. 27 In France, a time series study analyzed the number of pediatric visits and hospital admissions after the lockdown and found decreases of −68% and −45%, respectively. In addition, a significant decrease of >70% of acute gastroenteritis, common cold, bronchiolitis, and otitis media was noticed compared to the expected values.…”