Epidemiological profile and analysis of hospitalizations for pneumonia in a pediatric hospital in the pre- and post-pandemic periods of Covid-19

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 measures were adopted that resulted in a reduction in the number of respiratory infections during the pandemic. Objective: To identify the epidemiological profile of children and adolescents hospitalized for pneumonia in the pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods and to analyze the incidence, length of hospitalization, and hospital outcomes of these hospitalized patients. Methods: This is a descriptive, observational study with a quantitative approach and retrospective design. Children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia hospitalized in the pre- and post-pandemic periods were included. For all statistical analyses, a significance level of p < 0.05 was considered. Results: A total of 2,688 hospitalizations for pneumonia were analyzed, 1,220 in the pre-pandemic period and 1,468 in the post-pandemic period. A statistically significant increase was observed in the incidence of newborns hospitalized for pneumonia in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period (p <0.05). This change may be associated with an “immunological debt”. Conclusion: There was an increase in the number of newborns hospitalized for pneumonia in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period when compared to the pre-pandemic period. There was no change in the other factors analyzed in these periods.