Xu Xuchen, Chen Xiya, He Jing, Su Lin, Tong Xudong, Sun Ying, Huang Shumin, Bai Guannan, Chen Zhimin
Department of Pulmonology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health., Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Department of Paediatrics, Cixi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Infect Drug Resist. 2025 Feb 11;18:835-845. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S496239. eCollection 2025.
Bronchiolitis is a common cause of hospitalization in infants under 2 years of age. The epidemiological effects of changes in hygiene and social behaviors during COVID-19 restrictions on the disease is still debated. This study aimed to analyze the changes in the viral etiology of bronchiolitis in Hangzhou during the COVID-19 restriction period (2022) compared to the period following the easing of restrictions(2023).
This study collected data on patients under 2 years of age who were admitted for bronchiolitis to the Department of Pulmonology at the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou) from January, 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023. It also investigated seasonal variations in the incidence of bronchiolitis and pathogen distribution across different years.
This study included a total of 697 children with bronchiolitis, with a median age of 7.5 (4.2-12.0) months. Of these, 68.9% were boys and 31.1% were girls. Compared to 2022, the number of bronchiolitis cases in 2023 (388 versus 309) and their proportion of lower respiratory tract infections (39.1% versus 28.2%) have significantly increased (p < 0.001). Whether in 2022 or 2023, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the primary pathogen causing bronchiolitis among children under 12 months of age, while human rhinovirus (HRV) was the main pathogen in children aged 12-24 months. There was a shift in the timing of the peak of several viruses including RSV, human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and parainfluenza virus (PIV) infections in 2023. However, the epidemic trend of HRV presented no significant changes between 2022 and 2023.
The findings suggest that bronchiolitis hospitalizations increased markedly after COVID-19 restriction easing, particularly among children aged 12-18 months. There was a shift in the timing of the peak of several viruses including RSV, HMPV and PIV infections in 2023, emphasizing the need for hospitals to anticipate potential irregularities in time in the future.
细支气管炎是2岁以下婴儿住院治疗的常见原因。新冠疫情防控期间卫生和社会行为变化对该疾病的流行病学影响仍存在争议。本研究旨在分析与疫情防控措施放宽后时期（2023年）相比，新冠疫情防控期间（2022年）杭州市细支气管炎病毒病因的变化。
本研究收集了2022年1月1日至2023年12月31日期间在浙江大学医学院附属儿童医院（杭州）呼吸内科因细支气管炎住院的2岁以下患者的数据。还调查了不同年份细支气管炎发病率的季节性变化和病原体分布情况。
本研究共纳入697例细支气管炎患儿，中位年龄为7.5（4.2 - 12.0）个月。其中，男孩占68.9%，女孩占31.1%。与2022年相比，2023年细支气管炎病例数（388例对309例）及其在下呼吸道感染中的比例（39.1%对28.2%）显著增加（p < 0.001）。无论是2022年还是2023年，呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）都是12个月以下儿童细支气管炎的主要病原体，而人鼻病毒（HRV）是12 - 24个月儿童的主要病原体。2023年包括RSV、人偏肺病毒（HMPV）和副流感病毒（PIV）在内的几种病毒感染高峰时间发生了变化。然而，2022年至2023年期间HRV的流行趋势没有显著变化。
研究结果表明，新冠疫情防控措施放宽后，细支气管炎住院病例显著增加，尤其是12 - 18个月龄的儿童。2023年包括RSV、HMPV和PIV在内的几种病毒感染高峰时间发生了变化，强调医院未来需要及时预测潜在的异常情况。
