Analysis of respiratory virus infection in 194 elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia

YU Xiaoli; CHEN Yusheng; YU Ting

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-266X.2024.18.007

Abstract：Objective To investigate the situation and clinical characteristics of respiratory virus infection in the elderly patients(≥65 years old)with community-acquired pneumonia(CAP).Methods This study included 194 el-derly CAP patients.Samples of sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were collected and tested for 11 common respira-tory viruses using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.Clinical data of the patients were also collected,and we compared the detection of respiratory viruses in elderly CAP patients of different ages and in different seasons.Results Among the 194 elderly CAP patients,respiratory viruses were detected in 40 cases(20.62%),including 37 cases with a single virus infection and 3 cases with mixed infections.The single virus infections included 31 cases of influenza A virus(Flu-A),4 cases of respiratory syncytial virus(RSV),1 case of parainfluenza virus type 2(PIV2),and 1 case of human bo-cavirus(HBOV).The three mixed infections were Flu-A+PIV1,Flu-A+PIV3,and Flu+RSV.Compared with the virus-negative patients,those with respiratory virus infections were older,had lower counts and percentages of lymphocytes,higher percentages of neutrophils,and a higher proportion of cardiac function class II or above(all P<0.05).No signifi-cant differences were found in the detection rates of respiratory viruses between patients aged 65-80 years and those over 80 years(all P>0.05).Compared with other seasons,the detection rate of Flu-A in sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was higher in the autumn(September to November)(P<0.05).Conclusion Respiratory virus infections are common in the elderly patients with CAP,predominantly caused by Flu-A.Elderly CAP patients with lower lympho-cyte counts and percentages,higher neutrophil percentages,and poor cardiac function are more susceptible to respirato-ry virus infections.