Acute Respiratory Tract Infections and Severe Disease Among Hospitalized Children - Summary - MDSpire

Acute Respiratory Tract Infections and Severe Disease Among Hospitalized Children

  • By

  • Haifa Mtaweh

  • Caitlyn L. Kaziev

  • Carlee A. Feinstein

  • Claire Seaton

  • Daniel S. Farrar

  • Rohini R. Datta

  • Sanjay Mahant

  • Aaron Campigotto

  • Gabrielle Freire

  • Rae S. M. Yeung

  • Jeffrey N. Bone

  • Francine Buchanan

  • Shaun K. Morris

  • Peter J. Gill

  • READAPT-Kids Study Group

  • Mei Han

  • Nicholas Barrowman

  • Gabriele Zitikyte

  • Cornelia Borkhoff

  • Patricia Parkin

  • Anya Nair

  • Nafisa Anwar

  • Rizk ElMadbak

  • Haniyyah Mahmood

  • Kody Wolfstadt

  • Nilushi de Silva

  • Polina Kyrychenko

  • Nardin Kirolos

  • Jonathan Fortini

  • Shamama Raza

  • Vincent Flores

  • Keane Fuerte

  • Pardis Noormohammadpour

  • Bayley Levy

  • Hafsa Azher

  • Fiona Muttalib

  • Tom McLaughlin

  • Matt Carwana

  • Srinivas Murthy

  • Manish Sadarangani

  • Connie Yang

  • Jocelyn A. Srigley

  • Jenny Retallack

  • Dave Goldfarb

  • Jonathan H. Rayment

  • Candice Wiedman

  • Melissa Braschel

  • Alam Lakhani

  • Opninder Lindstrom

  • Sanja Hadzi-Nikolova

  • Min-Jung Kim

  • Victoria Tapics

  • Henry Okpaladigbo

  • Joanna Xu

  • Zainab Zeyan

  • Baneesh Khosa

  • Gordon Krahn

  • Trish Page

  • Rita Janke

  • June 9, 2026

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To describe the demographics, clinical presentation, causes, management, and outcomes of hospitalized children with respiratory tract infections (RTIs), highlighting the significance of understanding these factors to improve clinical practices and public health interventions.

Key Findings:
  • RTIs are a leading cause of death in Canadian children aged 0 to 14 years, underscoring the need for effective prevention and management strategies.
  • Viruses account for 75% of RTIs, with coinfections ranging from 1% to 25%, indicating a complex clinical landscape.
  • Common pathogens include enterovirus-rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and human metapneumovirus, which are critical for targeted interventions.
  • Younger patients, those with underlying conditions, and those with bacterial coinfections are at greater risk for severe outcomes, necessitating tailored clinical approaches.
Interpretation:

Public health interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic altered the epidemiology of respiratory viruses, impacting infection rates and hospitalizations, which may inform future public health strategies.

Limitations:
  • The study is retrospective and may be subject to biases inherent in such designs; future studies should consider prospective designs.
  • Data were collected from only two hospitals, which may limit generalizability; expanding to more centers could enhance the findings.
Conclusion:

The study provides insights into the clinical characteristics and outcomes of pediatric patients hospitalized with RTIs, highlighting the need for further research on severe illness risk factors, particularly in diverse populations.

Original Source(s)

Acute Respiratory Tract Infections and Severe Disease Among Hospitalized Children

  • by Haifa Mtaweh, Caitlyn L. Kaziev, Carlee A. Feinstein, Claire Seaton, Daniel S. Farrar, Rohini R. Datta, Sanjay Mahant, Aaron Campigotto, Gabrielle Freire, Rae S. M. Yeung, Jeffrey N. Bone, Francine Buchanan, Shaun K. Morris, Peter J. Gill, READAPT-Kids Study Group, Mei Han, Nicholas Barrowman, Gabriele Zitikyte, Cornelia Borkhoff, Patricia Parkin, Anya Nair, Nafisa Anwar, Rizk ElMadbak, Haniyyah Mahmood, Kody Wolfstadt, Nilushi de Silva, Polina Kyrychenko, Nardin Kirolos, Jonathan Fortini, Shamama Raza, Vincent Flores, Keane Fuerte, Pardis Noormohammadpour, Bayley Levy, Hafsa Azher, Fiona Muttalib, Tom McLaughlin, Matt Carwana, Srinivas Murthy, Manish Sadarangani, Connie Yang, Jocelyn A. Srigley, Jenny Retallack, Dave Goldfarb, Jonathan H. Rayment, Candice Wiedman, Melissa Braschel, Alam Lakhani, Opninder Lindstrom, Sanja Hadzi-Nikolova, Min-Jung Kim, Victoria Tapics, Henry Okpaladigbo, Joanna Xu, Zainab Zeyan, Baneesh Khosa, Gordon Krahn, Trish Page, Rita Janke

  • June 9, 2026

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