Papers
Ying-wen WANG, Feng WANG, Li-bo WANG, Ai-zhen LU, Yi WANG, Yong-hao GUI, Quan LU, Yong YIN, Jian-hua ZHANG, Ying-zi YE, Hong XU, Bing SHEN, Dan-ping GU, Xiao-yan DONG, Jia-yu WANG, Wen HE, Xiao-bo ZHANG
Objective: To investigate disease characteristics and hospitalization costs of children with Mycoplasma Pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) admitted to Shanghai municipal medical hospitals from 2019 to 2023. Methods: Depending on the Shanghai Municipal Hospital Pediatric Alliance, we retrospectively investigated community acquired MPP pediatric patients hospitalized in 22 municipal hospitals with pediatric qualifications (including 4 children's hospitals) in Shanghai from Jan 2019 to Dec 2023. We collected the patients' diagnosis codes, gender, age, length of hospital stay, hospitalization costs, and whether they progressed to severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP). Results: From 2019 to 2023, a total of 29 045 hospitalized children with MPP were treated, with 6 035 cases (20.8%) identified as SMPP in the 22 hospitals. Trend analysis revealed a rising trend with years in the proportion of SMPP patients (χtrend2=365.498, P < 0.001). Among the 4 children's hospitals, there were 18 710 cases with MPP, including 4 078 cases (21.8%) of SMPP. The proportion of SMPP patients also showed an increasing trend with years (χtrend2=14.548, P < 0.001), and the proportion in 2023 (23.0%) was higher than that in previous years with statistical significance. There were statistical differences in the seasonal distribution of MPP cases between different years, with higher proportions in summer and autumn overall. The age distribution of hospitalized MPP children varied among different years, with school-age children accounting for the majority (56.8%) in 2023. There was no difference in the distribution of severe cases between different genders, but there were differences in the proportion of severe cases among different age groups in different years, with a gradual increase in severe cases among children aged 1 to 3 years (χtrend2=191.567, P < 0.001). The average length of hospital stay for MPP during the epidemic was higher than that during non-epidemic periods, and there were statistically significant differences in the average length of hospital stay between different years (P < 0.001). The individual hospitalization costs during the epidemic were higher than in other years, and there were statistically significant differences in individual hospitalization costs between different years (P < 0.001). The total hospitalization costs were still higher in 2019 and 2023. The individual hospitalization costs for SMPP were higher than for non-SMPP cases. Conclusion: MPP outbreaks occurred in Shanghai in 2019 and 2023, with the higher proportions in summer and autumn overall. Compared to previous years, the number of hospitalized MPP children in Shanghai was higher in 2023, with a higher proportion of SMPP cases, especially among children under 3 years old. The individual per capita hospitalization expenses for SMPP cases were higher than for non-SMPP cases.