Abstract:

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of respiratory tract viruses in hospitalized and followed-up patients in our hospital before the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: The records of 193 patients aged over 18 years, who admitted to our hospital with respiratory tract infection findings between January 2017 and December 2019, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: In the nasopharyngeal swab samples taken from the patients, influenza A/B virus (n=143, 74.1%) was the most common viral pathogen, respiratory syncytial virus was the second most common (n=22, 11.4%) and coronavirus was the third most common (n=9, 4.7%) was detected. When their seasonal distributions were examined, it was observed that viral agents were most frequently detected in winter months. The most common symptoms at admission to hospital were sore throat, myalgia, headache, and fatigue. There was no significant difference between the lengths of hospitalization for viral agents (p=0.056), and the need for intensive care was found to be more frequent in non-influenza agents (p<0.001). Conclusion: We think that our study will help in reducing the use of unnecessary antibiotics in patients with rapid and sensitive diagnosis of viruses in various respiratory tract infections, and in using the right test at appropriate time intervals due to seasonal distribution of viruses.

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