Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Nov 2023
Etiology and Clinical Characteristics of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Korean Children During the Pre-COVID-19 Period, 2015-2020.
There have been many epidemiologic studies on community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among children, most of which had substantial limitations. This study investigated the etiologic distribution and clinical characteristics of CAP in Korean children for 5 years before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. ⋯ M. pneumoniae and RSV were the most commonly detected pathogens of pediatric CAP, which was selected by strict clinical and radiologic criteria. It is necessary to carefully decide whether to use parenteral antibiotics based on the epidemiology and clinical features of CAP in children.