Children (Apr 2022)

Epidemiology, Microbiology and Severity of Bronchiolitis in the First Post-Lockdown Cold Season in Three Different Geographical Areas in Italy: A Prospective, Observational Study

  • Anna Camporesi,
  • Rosa Morello,
  • Valentina Ferro,
  • Luca Pierantoni,
  • Alessandro Rocca,
  • Marcello Lanari,
  • Gian Luca Trobia,
  • Tiziana Sciacca,
  • Agata Giuseppina Bellinvia,
  • Alessandra De Ferrari,
  • Piero Valentini,
  • Damian Roland,
  • Danilo Buonsenso

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/children9040491
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 4
p. 491

Abstract

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The aim of this study was to understand the epidemiology, disease severity, and microbiology of bronchiolitis in Italy during the 2021–2022 cold season, outside of lockdowns. Before COVID-19, the usual bronchiolitis season in Italy would begin in November and end in April, peaking in February. We performed a prospective observational study in four referral pediatric centers located in different geographical areas in Italy (two in the north, one in the center and one in the south). From 1 July 2021 to 31 January 2022, we collected all new clinical diagnoses of bronchiolitis in children younger than two years of age recording demographic, clinical and microbiological data. A total of 657 children with a clinical diagnosis of bronchiolitis were enrolled; 56% children were admitted and 5.9% required PICU admission. The first cases were detected during the summer, peaking in November 2021 and declining into December 2021 with only a few cases detected in January 2022. RSV was the commonest etiological agent, while SARS-CoV-2 was rarely detected and only since the end of December 2021. Disease severity was similar in children with RSV vs. non-RSV bronchiolitis, and in those with a single infectious agent detected compared with children with co-infections. The 2021–2022 bronchiolitis season in Italy started and peaked earlier than the usual pre-pandemic seasons, but had a shorter duration. Importantly, the current bronchiolitis season was not more severe when data were compared with Italian published data, and SARS-CoV-2 was rarely a cause of bronchiolitis in children younger than 24 months of age.

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