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. 2024 Apr;52(2):525-534.
doi: 10.1007/s15010-023-02123-7. Epub 2023 Nov 13.

High burden of acute respiratory tract infections leading to hospitalization at German pediatric hospitals: fall/winter 2022-2023

Maren Doenhardt  1 , Jakob P Armann  2 , Natalie Diffloth  2 , Christin Gano  2 , Josephine Schneider  2 , Dominik T Schneider  3 , Tobias Tenenbaum  4 , Andreas Trotter  5 , Reinhard Berner  2 ; DGPI Ad hoc-ARI-register working group
Collaborators, Affiliations

High burden of acute respiratory tract infections leading to hospitalization at German pediatric hospitals: fall/winter 2022-2023

Maren Doenhardt et al. Infection. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: Given reduced immunity levels for seasonally occurring respiratory infections and the experience of an unusually early, severe wave of RSV infections during 2021, a preexisting clinician-led reporting system (CLRS) was updated to prospectively monitor the anticipated high burden of respiratory infections (ARI) in German pediatric hospitals during fall/winter 2022-2023.

Methods: From September 13, 2022 through March 31, 2023, children hospitalized with ARI as a primary diagnosis were monitored via a national CLRS established by the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI). Once a week, the CLRS collected overall number of new hospital admissions, ARI-related admissions according to pathogen (SARS-CoV-2, RSV, influenza, and other), plus number of patients admitted to ICU with ARI as a primary diagnosis.

Results: With a high participation among children's hospitals across Germany (22.8%), 76 centers submitted 1,053 survey reports. ARI-related hospital admissions showed a steep rise starting in late September 2022 and reached their highpoint in early December 2022 (50.1% of all admissions). In parallel, the average number of newly admitted patients (aNA) with RSV (3.6) peaked, as did those with influenza (2.1) one week later. The average highpoint of ARI patients on ICU (aICU) (2.9) was reached shortly thereafter. Again, RSV (1.6) und influenza (1.2) were predominant pathogens.

Conclusion: In fall/winter 2022-2023, German hospitals reported a sharp increase in patients with ARIs. While RSV and influenza represented the greatest proportion of ARI, SARS-CoV-2 played a less significant role. Systematic, dynamic collection of ARI data is critical for assessing real burdens on the health care system.

Keywords: Acute respiratory infection; Children; Hospitalization; Influenza; RSV; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The study was in part funded by the German Federal State of Saxony. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A New hospital admissions with respiratory tract infections, average cases per day per reporting hospital. Included in the data analysis were patients who had been newly admitted due to a clinical respiratory infection and whose primary diagnosis also was an acute respiratory infection. B Number of patients receiving treatment on ICU due to a respiratory infection, average cases per day per reporting hospital with an in-house ICU. *Pathogen detection pending/not performed
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A New admissions due to respiratory infections, by age group. B Intensive care treatment due to respiratory infections, by age group. Age groups were defined as follows: Newborns = 0–3 months; Infants = 4–11 months; Toddlers = 1–2 years; Preschool-aged children = 3–4 years; School-aged children = 5–11 years; Adolescents = 12–18 years; Young adults ≥ 19 years
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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