The epidemiology and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children at a public pediatric referral hospital in Mexico.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) treated at a public referral children's hospital in Mexico.

Methods: We reviewed RSV infection in patients aged 0-18 years who were treated at Hospital Infantil from January 2004 to December 2008.

Results: During the 5 years, 2797 samples were tested for respiratory viruses; 356 samples were positive for any virus, including 266 (74.7%) positive for RSV. Complete clinical information was available for 205 RSV patients. The mean age was 22 months, and 33.7% of the infections were nosocomially acquired. Hospitalization occurred in 187 children. Of 14 deaths, nine were directly attributed to RSV infection. During the study, RSV infections were seen throughout the year, predominating in the colder months. Of the 205 patients, 79.0% (162/205) had an underlying disease. Congenital heart disease was found in 30.2% (49/162), including three children (33.3%) who died of RSV. Thirty-three patients (16.1%) with RSV required mechanical ventilation. None of the children with RSV received palivizumab or ribavirin.

Conclusions: RSV caused high hospitalization rates and admission to intensive care units, especially among those with underlying illnesses and young infants. The data presented here will be useful for strategies to improve outcomes in children at risk of complications.