"Post-graduate School of Pediatrics, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena (Italy)"..
"PhD Program in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena (Italy)"..
Acta Biomed. 2023 Feb 13;94(1):e2023032. doi: 10.23750/abm.v94i1.13596.
During the 2020 and 2021 Italian COVID-19 pandemic social restrictions and strict hygiene measures were recommended to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to assess whether rates of respiratory infections and wheezing in preterm infants have changed during the pandemic.
Single center, retrospective study. Preterm infants in the first 6 months of life discharged home prior to (Period 1, January 2017 - December 2019) or during the pandemic (Period 2, January 2020 - March 2021) were compared. Rates of respiratory infection and wheezing in preterm infants with or without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP) were assessed.
During period 2 premature infants had lower rates of respiratory infections (36 out of 55 in Period 1 vs 11 out of 28 in Period 2, P=0.023) and wheezing (20 out of 55 in Period 1 vs 1 out of 28 in Period 2, P=0.001). This difference remained significant when infants with BPD (all grades) were analyzed separately (respiratory infections 26 out of 40 in Period 1 vs 7 out of 24 in Period 2, P=0.005; wheezing 16 out of 40 in Period 1 vs 1 out of 24 in Period 2, P=0.001). In contrast, respiratory infections and wheezing in preterm infants without BPD did not change after pandemic.
Episodes of respiratory infections and wheezing among preterm infants were reduced during pandemic. We highlight the importance of proper family education for preventing respiratory tract infections in preterm infants with BPD, beyond the extraordinary conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
在 2020 年和 2021 年意大利 COVID-19 大流行期间，建议采取社会限制和严格的卫生措施来限制 SARS-CoV-2 的传播。我们旨在评估在大流行期间早产儿的呼吸道感染和喘息率是否发生了变化。
单中心回顾性研究。比较在家中出院前（第 1 期，2017 年 1 月至 2019 年 12 月）或大流行期间（第 2 期，2020 年 1 月至 2021 年 3 月）出院的头 6 个月龄内的早产儿。评估有无支气管肺发育不良（BPD）的早产儿的呼吸道感染和喘息率。
第 2 期早产儿的呼吸道感染率（第 1 期 55 例中有 36 例，第 2 期 28 例中有 11 例，P=0.023）和喘息率（第 1 期 55 例中有 20 例，第 2 期 28 例中有 1 例，P=0.001）较低。当分别分析患有所有等级 BPD 的婴儿时，这种差异仍然显著（第 1 期 40 例中有 26 例呼吸道感染，第 2 期 24 例中有 7 例呼吸道感染，P=0.005；第 1 期 40 例中有 16 例喘息，第 2 期 24 例中有 1 例喘息，P=0.001）。相比之下，第 2 期无 BPD 的早产儿的呼吸道感染和喘息没有变化。
在大流行期间，早产儿的呼吸道感染和喘息发作减少。我们强调，在 COVID-19 大流行的特殊情况下，除了对患有 BPD 的早产儿进行适当的家庭教育以预防呼吸道感染外，还应重视这一点。
