Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric bacterial infection rates: a population-based study

Chiara Pilotto; Giada Piccinin; Giorgia Tanzi; Giorgia Martini; Paola Cogo; Ilaria Liguoro

doi:10.23750/abm.v96i3.16454

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric bacterial infection rates: a population-based study

Authors

Chiara Pilotto Pediatric Clinic, University Hospital of Udine, Italy
Giada Piccinin Department of Medicine, DMED. University of Udine, Italy
Giorgia Tanzi Department of Medicine, DMED. University of Udine, Italy
Giorgia Martini Department of Medicine, DMED. University of Udine, Italy
Paola Cogo Department of Medicine, DMED. University of Udine, Italy
Ilaria Liguoro Pediatric Clinic, University Hospital of Udine

Keywords:

Immunity debt, Coronavirus disease, bacterial infection, COVID-19

Abstract

Background and aim: During the COVID-19 pandemic a significant reduction of viral infections was observed in children probably due to the imposition of lockdown measures. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of some common bacterial infections in children before and after COVID-19 pandemic in an Italian third-level pediatric hospital

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients evaluated at our Pediatric Clinic from October 2018 to April 2019 in comparison to those admitted from October 2022 to April 2023. All patients aged 0-16 hospitalized with a diagnosis of a bacterial infection were included in the analysis.

Results: A total of 879 children was enroled. The 2 groups were comparable in terms of age and sex. No significant difference emerged, except for the presence of a concomitant acute viral illness, less frequently found in 2022-2023 than in 2018-2019. The incidence of bacterial infections resulted significantly higher in 2022-2023 than in 2018-2019 with an estimated OR of 2.92 (95%CI 1.88-4.48).

Conclusions: The non-pharmacological measures adopted during the pandemic might have been a double-edged sword for young children, as delayed immune maturity might have increased susceptibility to infections and led to an increase in invasive bacterial infections.

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