The burden of non‐SARS‐CoV2 viral lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalized children in Barcelona (Spain): A long‐term, clinical, epidemiologic and economic study

BACKGROUND: Viral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are the leading cause of hospitalization in children. In Catalonia (Spain), information is scarce about the burden of viral LRTIs in paediatric hospitalizations. The aim of this study is to describe epidemiological, clinical, virological and economic features of paediatric hospitalizations due to viral LRTI. METHODS: From October 2012 to December 2020, children aged <16 years admitted to a tertiary paediatric hospital in Catalonia (Spain) with confirmed viral LRTI were included in the study. Virus seasonality, prevalence, age and sex distribution, clinical characteristics, hospital costs and bed occupancy rates were determined. RESULTS: A total of 3,325 children were included (57.17% male, 9.44% with comorbidities) accounting for 4056 hospitalizations (32.47% ≤ 12 months): 53.87% with wheezing/asthma, 37.85% with bronchiolitis and 8.28% with pneumonia. The most common virus was respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (52.59%). Influenza A was associated with pneumonia (odds ratio [OR] 7.75) and caused longer hospitalizations (7 ± 31.58 days), while RSV was associated with bronchiolitis (OR 6.62) and was the most frequent reason for admission to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) (11.23%) and for respiratory support (78.76%). Male sex, age ≤12 months, chronic conditions and bronchiolitis significantly increased the odds of PICU admission. From October to May, viral LRTIs accounted for 12.36% of overall hospital bed days. The total hospitalization cost during the study period was €16,603,415. CONCLUSIONS: Viral LRTIs are an important cause of morbidity, hospitalization and PICU admission in children. The clinical burden is associated with significant bed occupancy and health‐care costs, especially during seasonal periods.