Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with viral infections
| Characteristic | All viruses (n=101) | Influenza (n=29) | RSV (n=54) | Other viruses (n=18) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (days) | ||||
| Mean | 37.2±14.9 | 36.9±17.8 | 37.6±14.1 | 36.8±13.6 |
| Median | 36 | 36 | 37 | 32 |
| Range | 6–62 | 6–62 | 14–62 | 18–61 |
| Male:female ratio | 1.24 | 1.40 | 1.16 | 1.25 |
| Background illness (%) | 22.8 | 13.8 | 25.9 | 16.7 |
| Exposure (%) | 38.6 | 69.0‡ | 20.4 | 44.4 |
| Serious bacterial illness (%) | 7.92 | 10.3 | 5.56 | 11.1 |
| Fever >38.0°C (%) | 63.4 | 96.5‡ | 46.3 | 91.6 |
| Fever °C (median) | 38.7 | 38.7 | 38.5 | 38.8 |
| URT signs (%) | 94.1 | 82.8* | 96.3 | 83.3 |
| Respiratory distress (%) | 64.5 | 24.1‡ | 88.9 | 55.6 |
| Infiltrate on CXR (positive/total) | 20/69 | 1/13§ | 17/44 | 2/12 |
| Hyperinflation (positive/total) | 29/69 | 4/13 | 20/44 | 5/12 |
| Hypoxia % | 50.5 | 10.3‡ | 77.8 | 33.3 |
| CNS (%) | 17.8 | 24.1 | 9.26 | 5.56 |
| Median fever duration (days) | 2 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 |
| Median hospitalisation (days) | 5 | 4† | 6 | 4.5 |
| PICU (%) | 9.9 | 3.4 | 9.3 | 22.2 |
| Intubation/bronchoscopy (%) | 5.0 | 0 | 5.6 | 11.1 |
Exposure, history of exposure to a family member with upper respiratory symptoms.
↵* p≤0.05, influenza versus RSV, χ2, two-tailed. †p<0.001, influenza versus RSV, Mann–Whitney rank sum test. ‡p≤0.001, influenza versus RSV, χ2, two-tailed. §p=0.044, Fisher's exact test, two-tailed.
CNS, central nervous system manifestations (sleepiness or excessive irritability); CXR, chest x-ray; PICU, paediatric intensive care unit; URT, upper respiratory tract.