Clinical Findings of Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children, from 1998 to 2003

Kim, Ji Hyun; Chae, Soo Ahn; Lee, Dong Keun

Abstract

PURPOSE
We performed a study of clinical findings of Mycoplasma Pneumonia in children, to know differences between recent clinical manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumonia and previous studies. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 393 children who were diagnosed as Mycoplasma pneumonia with high titers of Mycoplasma antibody (> or = 1: 160) or fourfold rises of Mycoplasma antibody at Chung Ang University Hospital from January 1998 to December 2003. We practiced a retrospective study on the clinical manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumonia based on their medical records. RESULTS: Male to female ratio was 1.06 to 1 and mean age was 4.32+/-2.94 years. The highest incidence was in the age of 2 to 3 years (18.6 percent). Most frequent months were October, and November in 2000, April in 2002, and October and, December in 2003. Twenty six point seven percent showed allergic diseases. Second degree relatives of 10.7 percent patients had allergic diseases. Forty three point three percent were admitted before this admission for pneumonia. Allergic tests were positive in 65.7 percent. Cough, and sputum were the most common symptoms and abdominal pain, and vomiting were the most frequent extrapulmonary symptoms. Atelectasis and pleural effusion were seen in 2.5 percent and 1.8 percent. Infiltrations were more common on the right side. Titers of each simultaneous test for cold agglutinin and mycoplasma antibody were not in proportion to each other (P=0.163). CONCLUSION: The onset age of mycoplasma pneumonia was found to be lower than it used to be. More patients had a past medical history or a family history of allergic disease, and more wheezing was heard and associated with recurrent pneumonia.