The Experience of a Comparative Analysis of the Incidence of Pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Infections of the Upper Respiratory Tract after the Introduction of a System of Epidemiological Monitoring of Pneumonia

Abstract

 The system of epidemiological surveillance of community-acquired pneumonia (VP) in the Russian Federation (RF) has changed since 2011. As a result, additional opportunities have emerged for a comparative analysis of the incidence of EP and ARVI. The goal is to give a comparative description of the incidence of CAP and ARVI by age groups, territories and seasonality, taking into account the results of a selective laboratory examination of patients.Materials and methods.A retrospective descriptive epidemiological study on the results of epidemiological surveillance at the regional level (Irkutsk Region, 2012–2016) was conducted. For 2016, the dynamics of the patient’s number with influenza and acute respiratory viral infections (n = 706460) and VP (n = 15279) reported by weeks, as well as the results of selective PCR examination of 1788 patients for 13 viral and bacterial pathogens were analyzed.Results.Over 5 years, the incidence of the VP increased from 377.6 (370.0–385.2) per 100 thousand to 588.3 (578.7–597.9), the average annual growth rate was + 35.8%. At the same time, the incidence of ARVI decreased at an average annual rate of –2.9%. When comparing the incidence of CAP and ARVI in municipalities, it was found weakly correlation only (ρ = 0.172, p> 0.05). In contrast, in the analysis of seasonality, a direct strong correlation was found between SARS and EP by weeks of the year (ρ = 0.887, p <0.05). For an average of 5 years, there were 52 cases of ARVI per 1 case of EP. For children, there were no significant differences in this indicator by the seasons of the year, whereas in adults, EP were recorded relatively more often in summer and spring than in winter and autumn (p <0.05). Significant differences in the frequency of positive findings for the seasons of the year were found for pneumococcus, rhinoviruses, influenza A and RS viruses. The recorded incidence of CAP and ARVI was characterized by a weak correlation link by territory and a strong link by weeks.Conclusion.The introduction of the epidemiological monitoring system for pneumonia allowed to identify differences in the intra-annual dynamics of EF and ARVI among adults and children. This is the basis for correcting the tactics laboratory monitoring and prophylaxis of acute respiratory infections.