Demographic and clinical findings in children with enteroviral infection outbreak Enteroviral enfeksiyon salgi{dotless}ni{dotless} olan çocuklarda demografik ve klinik bulgular

Objective: Enteroviral infections is a group of common childhood infection particularly in children under 5 years. Patients generally present with hand-footmouth disease or herpangina which are benign and self-limiting. Bu rarely enteroviruses cause life-threatening diseases like viral meningitis, encephalitis and myocarditis. This study aimed to review epidemiological and clinical data for cases with enteroviral infections diagnosed in our hospital, in order to help develop and implement precautionary measures applicable for future epidemics. Material and Methods: In this study; demographic and clinical data for patients with enteroviral infection were investigated between April and November 2012. Enteroviral infections were diagnosed by typical symptoms and clinical findings for enteroviruses. Results: A total of 39 patients were diagnosed with enteroviral infection in the study. Most patients (79%) were under 5 years old, with a median age at onset of 3.9 years (10 months-16 year 6 months) and 59% were male. Disease peaked in July and August and decreased in the Autumn months. The most common symptoms on presentation were rash (77%), rash with fever (18%) and fever (5%). Gastrointestinal tract symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation were reported in 18% of patients. Neurological symptoms were not seen frequently in our patients, only one of them (2.5%) had a headache. One patient (2.5%) was hospitalized due to severe mucositis, resistant fever and feeding problems. Conclusion: In contrast to Asian countries, enteroviruses caused benign and self-limited disease in our country. All clinical findings were mild and reversible in our patients. © 2013 by Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society