Franczak Justyna, Wasielewska Zuzanna, Fotyga Anna Maria, Dobrowolska Krystyna, Moppert Justyna, Sobolewska-Pilarczyk Małgorzata, Pawłowska Małgorzata
Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Collegium Medicum, Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Torun, Poland.
Department of Paediatrics, Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Voivodeship Infectious Observation Hospital, 85-030 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Viruses. 2024 Dec 13;16(12):1912. doi: 10.3390/v16121912.
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology and clinical course of chickenpox in children based on 6 years of self-reported observations.
The medical records of 350 patients under 18 years of age hospitalised in the Department of Paediatrics, Infectious Diseases, and Hepatology between 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2023 were analysed retrospectively.
During the analysed period, 350 children were hospitalised due to chickenpox, the fewest in the pandemic period, the greatest number in 2023. Complications of chickenpox were diagnosed in 297 children (84.86%). The most commonly diagnosed complications were bacterial dermatitis (168, 48%) and lower respiratory tract infections (13.42%). After the pandemic period, a generalised inflammatory reaction was observed significantly more often ( ≤ 0.01069). Among children hospitalised in 2023, 5.90% of patients with bacterial dermatitis required surgical intervention due to skin abscess or fasciitis. In 2023, 41.46% of cultures from swabs taken from skin lesions grew . After the pandemic, children with chickenpox and gastrointestinal symptoms were hospitalised significantly less frequently ( ≤ 0.00001).
In the post-pandemic period, there were more hospitalisations of patients with chickenpox complicated by bacterial skin infection progressing to a generalised inflammatory reaction or septicaemia, related to the increase in invasive group A streptococcal infections observed in Europe. On the other hand, thanks to the widespread adaption of hygiene practices and infection prevention measures, the number of patients with gastrointestinal symptoms significantly decreased.
本研究旨在基于6年的自我报告观察，评估新冠疫情对儿童水痘流行病学和临床病程的影响。
回顾性分析了2018年1月1日至2023年12月31日期间在儿科、传染病和肝病科住院的350例18岁以下患者的病历。
在分析期间，350名儿童因水痘住院，大流行期间最少，2023年最多。297名儿童（84.86%）被诊断为水痘并发症。最常诊断出的并发症是细菌性皮炎（168例，48%）和下呼吸道感染（13.42%）。大流行期过后，全身性炎症反应的观察频率显著更高（≤0.01069）。在2023年住院的儿童中，5.90%的细菌性皮炎患者因皮肤脓肿或筋膜炎需要手术干预。2023年，从皮肤病变处采集的拭子培养物中41.46%培养出……。大流行后，水痘伴胃肠道症状的儿童住院频率显著降低（≤0.00001）。
在大流行后时期，水痘合并细菌性皮肤感染进展为全身性炎症反应或败血症的患者住院人数增加，这与欧洲观察到的侵袭性A组链球菌感染增加有关。另一方面，由于卫生习惯和感染预防措施的广泛采用，胃肠道症状患者的数量显著减少。
