Epidemiology of Respiratory Pathogens in Children with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection and Impact of the Multiplex PCR Film Array Respiratory Panel: A 2-Year Study

Table 1

Paediatric patient demographics and clinical characteristics (n = 534).

Gender
Male	310 (58.1)
Female	224 (41.9)
Age in months (mean/median)	17.6 (4)
Age range
<6 months	292 (54.7)
6 months to 1 year	114 (21.3)
1 to 2 years	42 (7.9)
2 to 5 years	40 (7.5)
>5 years	46 (8.7)
Clinical diagnosis
Bronchiolitis	180 (33.7)
Severe bronchiolitis with respiratory distress	235 (44)
Pneumonia	83 (15.5)
Pertussis	31 (5.8)
Influenza in immunocompromised children	34 (6.3)
Other	20 (3.7)
Season of admission
Autumn	104 (19.5)
Winter	200 (37.5)
Spring	151 (28.3)
Summer	79 (14.8)