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. 2007 Mar 15;195(6):773-81.
doi: 10.1086/511821. Epub 2007 Feb 2.

Rhinovirus-associated hospitalizations in young children

E Kathryn Miller  1 , Xiaoyan Lu, Dean D Erdman, Katherine A Poehling, Yuwei Zhu, Marie R Griffin, Tina V Hartert, Larry J Anderson, Geoffrey A Weinberg, Caroline B Hall, Marika K Iwane, Kathryn M Edwards; New Vaccine Surveillance Network
Affiliations

Rhinovirus-associated hospitalizations in young children

E Kathryn Miller et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Rhinoviruses frequently cause the common cold but have not been considered important causes of acute respiratory hospitalizations in children.

Methods: A population-based surveillance study was performed among children <5 years of age who were hospitalized with respiratory symptoms or fever and who resided within counties encompassing Nashville, Tennessee, or Rochester, New York, from October 2000 through September 2001. Data collected included questionnaires, nasal and throat swabs for viral culture and polymerase chain reaction testing, and chart review. Rates of rhinovirus-associated hospitalizations were calculated.

Results: Of 592 children enrolled, 156 (26%) were rhinovirus positive, representing 4.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.3-5.2) rhinovirus-associated hospitalizations/1000 children. Age-specific rates per 1000 children were 17.6 (95% CI, 14.9-20.6) for 0-5-month-olds, 6.0 (95% CI, 5.0-7.0) for 6-23-month-olds, and 2.0 (95% CI, 1.6, 2.4) for 24-59-month-olds (P<.01). Children with a history of wheezing/asthma had significantly more rhinovirus-associated hospitalizations than those without a history (25.3/1000 children [95% CI, 21.6-29.5/1000 children] vs. 3.1/1000 children [95% CI, 2.7-3.5/1000 children]).

Conclusions: Rhinoviruses were associated with nearly 5 hospitalizations/1000 children <5 years of age and were highest in children with a history of wheezing/asthma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest: none reported.

Figures

Table 1.
Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of 592 children hospitalized with acute respiratory illness or fever, by rhinovirus vs. other study viruses or no study virus isolated.
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Odds of rhinovirus-associated hospitalization, compared with hospitalization for acute respiratory infection/fever in which rhinovirus was not detected, with 95% confidence intervals calculated by multivariable logistic regression. “Asthma” indicates history of asthma or wheezing.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percent distribution of specific virus-associated hospitalizations, by age and history of asthma or wheezing.
Table 2.
Table 2.
History of asthma or wheezing, by study virus.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Seasonal distribution of hospitalizations for acute respiratory infection (ARI) or fever, by virus, identified for all children; and seasonal distribution of all hospitalizations for ARI and fever for children with a history of asthma or wheezing.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Rates of hospitalizations for rhinovirus-associated acute respiratory infection or fever in individual and combined counties, by age group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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