Human Rhinovirus Association with Influenza-Like Illness and Symptomatic Treatment for Acute Respiratory Infection in a Brazilian Southern City

Abstract

Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the world’s leading cause of morbidity and mortality. ARI impairs children’s education and have a huge impact on the economy. Human rhinovirus (HRV) is the most prevalent agent of ARI. In this study, a clinical and epidemiological surveillance in outpatients was carried to investiga-te the involvement of HRV in ARI cases in the city of Guarapuava, a Brazilian southern city. Attention was also given to the most common medications used for treating ARI symptoms. Samples from 135 patients were col-lected from Apr to Dec from 2014, HRV was identified in nearly 20% of samples, with symptoms ranging from common cold to Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and was more frequent in individuals with 10 or less years-old. Ne-arly two thirds of patients reported use of at least one class of drug during the ARI episodes, such as analgesi-cs, cough and cold preparations, and NSAIDs. In some cases and with no justifiable reason, patients also repor-ted the use of antibiotics, possibly contributing to the development of bacterial resistance. These results show a significant detection rate of HRV in ARI cases, and highlight the impact of this virus in the local population.