More Complex Investigations Improved Diagnoses of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children With Different Vaccination Histories.

Aim: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) significantly contributes to high infant mortality in Kazakhstan and developing effective treatment methods is critical. The aim of this study was to explore the microbiological and immunological characteristics of CAP in vaccinated and unvaccinated paediatric patients.

Methods: The study was carried out in the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital and the research centre of Karaganda Medical University, Republic of Kazakhstan. It comprised 85 children aged 2 months to 3 years who had been diagnosed with CAP and had received inpatient treatment from 2017 to 2019. Of these, 45 had complete pneumococcal vaccinations and 40 had not. Their CAP diagnoses were confirmed by microscopic, bacteriological and radiological methods and vaccination status. General clinical examinations were conducted.

Results: The study showed the diagnostic and prognostic value of the level of cytokines, depending on the severity of the children's CAP. The level of monocytic chemoattractant protein-1 was 2.1 pg/mL in the vaccinated children with mild CAP and 3.4 pg/mL in those with impaired immunisation. Pneumococcal vaccination affected the aetiological structure of CAP in early childhood.

Conclusion: More complex clinical and immunological diagnostic methods increased the efficiency of diagnosing CAP in children with different vaccination histories.