Serum total Immunoglobulin and Mycoplasma pneumonia

RATIONALE: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is atypical pneumonia and can causes asthma exacerbation and prolonged bronchial inflammation. T helper type 2 immune response is suggested to relate with MP infection. We aimed to investigate the factors associated to the length of hospitalization in those were inpatients of MP.

METHODS: A retrospective case series analysis for 315 children with MP pneumonia who admitted with MP from August, 2015 to April, 2016 was performed. The subjects consisted of the patients at the age under 18 years visit a single tertiary Hospital. We investigated the characteristics of subject and laboratory tests (serum total immunoglobulin (Ig) E, eosinophil counts, C-reactive protein (CRP). Multiple linear regression model was used to analysis the factors associated the length of hospital stay. Model and sample size in this study was suitable for a observational study analysis statically.

RESULTS: Total of 315 subjects with 151 (47.9%) boys was included and the median age was 4.16±3.05 years old. The mean of length of hospitalization were 7.07±5.79 days. In Multivariable Regression model, the length of hospitalization was positively related the CRP (β=0.249, p=0.003), Total IgE (β=0.001, p=0.006) and the effusion finding on chest radiography (β=1.619, p=0.003) with R²=0.308, independent of age, gender, thoracentesis procedure, co-detection of respiratory virus detection.

CONCLUSIONS: The length of hospitalization in pediatric MP patients has positively correlated with the effusion finding of chest radiography and CPR, Ig E. It could be implied that those factors maybe predict the prolongation and severity of hospitalization in MP patients.