Faculty Collaboration Database

Epidemiology and cost of infection with human parainfluenza virus types 1 and 2 in young children. Clin Infect Dis 1994 May;18(5):770-9

Date

05/01/1994

Pubmed ID

8075269

DOI

10.1093/clinids/18.5.770

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0028229945 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   105 Citations

Abstract

To determine the morbidity, costs, and epidemiological features of lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs) due to human parainfluenza virus types 1 and 2 (HPIV-1 and HPIV-2), we evaluated 1,213 children < 6 years of age who were seen for LRIs in the emergency room of the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and/or were admitted to the hospital for LRIs during the fall quarter of 1991. The age, sex, race, and respiratory syndrome were recorded for each child; 158 patients (13%) had respiratory samples cultured for viruses and were followed clinically for the duration of their illness. Caucasian children had croup diagnosed more often than did African-American children (relative risk [RR] = 3.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.43-4.00; P < .001), while African-American children more often had pneumonia (RR = 1.85; 95% CI, 1.36-2.5; P < .001). Forty-five of 70 viruses recovered were HPIV-1 (17 cases) or HPIV-2 (28 cases). Together these two viruses were recovered from 49% of children presenting with croup, 10% of those presenting with bronchiolitis, and 12% of those presenting with pneumonia. Gender- and race-associated differences were documented in the group of children infected with HPIV-2: specifically, this group included more girls than boys (RR = 1.99; 95% CI, 1.02-3.88; P < .04) and more Caucasian than African-American children (RR = 2.64; 95% CI, 1.05-6.63; P = .027). These data extrapolate nationally to approximately 250,000 emergency-room visits and approximately 70,000 hospitalizations due to HPIV-1 and HPIV-2, with a cost of $50 million for the former and $140 million for the latter.

Author List

Henrickson KJ, Kuhn SM, Savatski LL

Author

Kelly J. Henrickson MD Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Bronchiolitis
Child, Preschool
Cough
Croup
Disease Outbreaks
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Fever
Hospitalization
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Male
Paramyxoviridae Infections
Pneumonia, Viral
Respiratory Sounds
Respirovirus
Sampling Studies
Seasons
Sex Factors
Wisconsin