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Clinical and epidemiological aspects of respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections

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Abstract

This paper has analyzed respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections in 201 hospitalized children. In children with wheezing, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was significantly higher in those with pneumonia than with syndroma pertussis, while the white blood cell (WBC) count was significantly lower in patients with bronchitis than in those with bronchiolitis and syndroma pertussis. Bronchodilatators were applied in 75.6% and corticosteroids in 20% of patients. Ten patients were ventilated. Fatal disease outcome was observed in one infant. Twelve consecutive-year study of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections showed that 27.3% of these diseases were bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology (GM-G, AL-G) and Department of Statistics (JB), A. Štampar School of Public Health, Medical School, University of Zagreb, Zagreb

    A. Lukić-grlić, J. Božikov & G. Mlinarić-galinović

  2. Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb

    V. Draženović

  3. Dr. F. Mihaljević University Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Zagreb

    A. Baće

  4. University Children's Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia

    R. Lokar-Kolbas & D. Loffler-badžek

Authors
  1. A. Lukić-grlić
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  2. A. Baće
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  3. R. Lokar-Kolbas
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  4. D. Loffler-badžek
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  5. V. Draženović
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  6. J. Božikov
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  7. G. Mlinarić-galinović
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Lukić-grlić, A., Baće, A., Lokar-Kolbas, R. et al. Clinical and epidemiological aspects of respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections. Eur J Epidemiol 15, 359–363 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007503302742

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007503302742

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