Dynamic change of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in hospitalized children in a general hospital: a 3-year retrospective analysis

Background The epidemiology and economic burden of hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) children due to MP is still poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children in a general hospital. Methods A total of 2011 CAP children aged 1-16 years hospitalized at Peking University Third Hospital from 2017 to 2019 were enrolled by cross-sectional study for the retrospective analysis of the clinical data mainly including seasonal distribution of MPP, hospital stay, severity, complications, use of flexible bronchoscopy, and hospitalization costs. The dynamic changes of CAP and MPP children within 3 consecutive years and the differences between the MPP group and non-MPP groups were compared. Results The proportion of CAP children among hospitalized children was 32.4%, 38.5%, and 39.5% in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively, showing an upward trend (P 0.05). Conclusions The proportions of severe pneumonia, complications, and use of flexible bronchoscopy as well as the hospitalization days and costs are higher in MPP children. General hospitals should develop integrated clinical quality control programs for MPP children, so as to optimize the allocation of medical resources.