Risk factors of 90-day rehospitalization following discharge of pediatric patients hospitalized with mycoplasma Pneumoniae pneumonia.

Background: Among pediatric patients hospitalized for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP), the risk factors for 90-day readmission after discharge is undefined.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients <14 years of age who were discharged with a diagnosis of MPP between January 2016 and February 2017. We collected clinical, laboratory and radiographic variables at the time of initial admission. We assessed pneumonia-related readmission within 90-day after discharge. Risk factors independently associated with rehospitalization were identified using multiple logistic regression models.

Results: Of the 424 MPP hospitalizations, 48 (11.3%) were readmitted within 90 days and were mainly diagnosed with pneumonia. Patients with younger age or coinfection with influenza A were more likely to be readmitted. In addition, compared with children without readmission, the readmission ones showed different clinical and laboratory characteristics at the index hospital admission. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified age (OR 0.815, 95%CI 0.706-0.940) and body temperature (OR 0.659, 95%CI 0.518-0.839) were significantly associated with lower risk of 90-day readmission. Coinfection with influenza was independently associated with a greater likelihood of 90-day readmission (OR 4.746, 95%CI 1.191-18.913).

Conclusions: Readmission after MPP are common and is related to patients' age, body temperature and influenza A coinfection during initial hospital stay, indicating potential targets could be noticed to reduce the rehospitalization after pediatric MPP.