ETIOLOGIC AND CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF ACUT E RESPIRATORY-INFECTIONS INCHILDREN

Viral laboratory diagnosis was correlated with clinical and epidemiolo gical data from 80 hospitalized children with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI). They all were less than 5 years-old and were studied from May to September 1993. Fifteen percent of them were malnourished and 75% had some unsatisfied basic necessity. Nasopharingeal aspirate s were obtained the first day of hospitalization, and diagnosis for re spiratory viruses was performed by the immunofluorescence test with mo noclonal antibodies. Routine laboratory determinations, x-ray studies, and clinical data were not conclusive to determine viral etiology. Fo rty-one percent of the children had a positive viral diagnosis: the mo st important agent was Respiratory Syncytial Virus (78.7%) followed by Adenovirus (9.1%), Influenza A (6.1%) and Parainfluenza (3%). The pea k of incidence was observed in June and the majority of the patients r emained hospitalized less than 10 days. Six children died: two of them had viral pneumonia and could not receive mechanical respiratory assi stance. The percentage of children who received antibiotics was high, 61.2%, in spite of the fact that 34.7% of these patients had a laborat ory confirmed viral etiology. The availability of rapid laboratory vir al diagnosis may contribute to decrease the use of antibiotics and imp rove the management of patients.