Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Rotavirus Infection in Children aged 0–17 Years in the Altai Krai

Relevance . Rotavirus infection remains of high epidemiological importance in the pediatric population of the Russian Federation, characterized by the predominance of moderate forms and a significant proportion of hospitalizations, which determines the need for a detailed study of its clinical and epidemiological characteristics at the regional level. Aim . To study the clinical and epidemiological features of the course of rotavirus infection in hospitalized children aged 0–17 in the Altai Krai in the period 2015 - 2023. Materials and methods . A retrospective analysis of official statistical reporting data (Form No. 2) and medical documentation (Form 003/u) of 3039 hospitalized children was carried out. The data was processed using the calculation of intensive and extensive indicators, the calculation of the arithmetic mean (X) and the standard error of the mean (m). The exact confidence values (95 %) for the proportions in the STATISTICA-10 program were calculated. Correlation analysis with calculation of the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was used to assess the relationship between the severity of rotavirus infection and the frequency of clinical symptoms. The critical significance level was assumed 0.05 in all statistical analysis procedures. Results . In the group of children aged 0-17, there was a 2.5-fold decrease in the incidence of rotavirus infection (from 337.4 to 137.4 per 100,000 child population, p = 0.0233). The proportion of hospitalized children was 10.0 % in 2017 and 75.3 % in 2023 (an average of 41.8 %). On average, children 1–2 years old were more often admitted to the hospital – 39.0 %; 3–6 years old – 29.5 %; children under 1 year old – 17.0 %; 7–14 years old – 13.0 %; 15–17 years old – 1.5 % The majority of hospitalized children were disorganized (53.3 %). The majority of children, 236 (62.9 %), were infected in the family. The analysis of the severity of rotavirus infection revealed a predominance of moderate severity – 94.7%. A strong positive correlation was established between the severity of rotavirus and the main clinical manifestations of the disease: the intensity of vomiting (r = 0.96), diarrhea (r = 0.87) and fever (r = 0.98). On average, patients with mild severity spent 4 days in the hospital, those with moderate severity spent 5 days, and those with severe severity spent 6 days. Concomitant pathology was detected in 12.4 % of hospitalized children, and life–threatening complications (convulsive syndrome, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with organ failure) – in 0.16 %. Complete clinical recovery upon discharge was recorded in only 58.4 % of children. Conclusion : Thus, a significant burden of rotavirus infection remains in the Altai Krai, requiring hospitalization, especially among young children. There are clear correlations between the severity of infection and the main clinical manifestations. The high frequency of incomplete treatment justifies the need to optimize therapeutic and preventive measures, among which vaccination can play a key role.