Purpose: There are many studies of rotavirus gastroenteritis patients but a few reports of respiratory involvement in them in Korea. The purpose of this study is to know their recent clinical characteristics to help them.
Methods: I collected the clinical informations of children with rotavirus infection who had visited at the Department of Pediatrics, YongIn Severance Hospital, YongIn, Korea from January 2007 to December 2007. Rotavirus has been found by detection of group A antigen from stool with immunochromatographic method. Their clinical features were investigated retrospectively according to respiratory findings.
Results: Fifty four patients(38.8%) had respiratory involvements in 139 rotavirus infection. Most of them(79.6%) were 3 and under years old. Their male to female ratio was 1.3:1. More than two-thirds of them revealed cough(90.7%), rhinorrhea(74.1%), grunting respiration(70.4%), rale(66.7%). All respiratory features were resolved within 15 days. Respiratory manifestation group had longer admission days than others (5.9±2.1 vs 5.3±1.8 days, p=0.03). There was no statistical difference in terms of age, sex, fever duration, dehydration between the groups with respiratory disease and without it in rotavirus infection.
Conclusion: It had a considerable prevalence and an influence on prognosis. That should be considered during the management of rotavirus infection.