Adenoviral pneumonia in children

This report reviews the manifestations in fifteen children of proved adenoviral pneumonia. Patients' ages ranged from 43 days to 4 years and 1 month. Twelve cases were younger than 2 years old. Adenoviral infections were proved by positive viral cultures or a four-fold increase of the complement fixation titer. Prolonged fever and cough were found in all cases. In 13 patients, respiratory distress occurred; 5 needed mechanical ventilation. Injected throats, conjunctivae and ear drums were common. Other clinical pictures included abdominal discomfort, hepatomegaly, skin rash, convulsion and bleeding tendency. Abnormal laboratory findings were mild anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, impaired liver function test, and prolonged prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time. Anemia (11 cases), leukopenia (7 cases) and elevated transaminases levels (7 cases) were more common than previously reported. All patients had para-hilar peribronchial infiltrates in chest roentgenography. Segmental atelectasis and compensated hyper-expansion were found frequently. Pleural effusion were noted in six of our cases. Air leak syndrome occurred in three patients who had received mechanical ventilation. Three of the 15 patients expired: one had a preceding measles infection, all had disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. For patients with antibiotic-resistant pneumonia, adenoviral studies should be done. Extrapulmonary manifestations, and some abnormal laboratory findings, i.e., mild anemia, leukopenia, impaired liver function are clues to adenoviral infections, while bleeding tendency can be regarded as a poor prognostic sign for children with adenoviral pneumonia.