Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysis

BackgroundWith the increase of the incidence rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children and the widespread use of azithromycin, the number of cases of refractory M. pneumoniae increased accordingly. M. pneumoniae infection was generally considered a self-limiting disease. However, under certain speci...

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Main Authors: Chun Chen, Shan Chen, Chuanzhong Yang, Xiaolan Zhang, Luohui Liu, Yuejuan Wang, Min Cao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Pediatrics
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1512689/full
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author Chun Chen
Shan Chen
Chuanzhong Yang
Xiaolan Zhang
Luohui Liu
Yuejuan Wang
Min Cao
author_facet Chun Chen
Shan Chen
Chuanzhong Yang
Xiaolan Zhang
Luohui Liu
Yuejuan Wang
Min Cao
author_sort Chun Chen
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundWith the increase of the incidence rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children and the widespread use of azithromycin, the number of cases of refractory M. pneumoniae increased accordingly. M. pneumoniae infection was generally considered a self-limiting disease. However, under certain special circumstances, it was highly likely to develop into a refractory disease. This study conducted a meta-analysis of early risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP), which was helpful for the early clinical diagnosis of RMPP and the reduction of sequelae.MethodsThis systematic search was conducted in Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wangfang, Sinomed and Cqvip, and the date was set until August 20, 2024. After two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies, a meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 17.0 and RevMan 5.4 software.ResultsTwenty-eight studies including 6374 patients were included in this analysis, and the results showed that the age [MD (95% CI): 0.62 (0.21, 1.03), P = 0.003], LDH [MD (95% CI): 161.57 (128.22, 194.91), P < 0.001], neutrophils (%) [MD (95% CI): 9.27 (3.45, 15.09), P = 0.002], IL-6 [MD (95% CI): 23.07 (20.90, 25.24), P = 0.04], ESR [MD (95% CI): 10.93 (7.75, 14.11), P < 0.001], AST [MD (95% CI): 16.11 (8.21, 24.01), P < 0.001], ALT [MD (95% CI): 23.69 (9.60, 37.77), P = 0.001], CRP [MD (95% CI): 23.72 (18.41, 29.03), P < 0.001], and WBC [MD (95% CI): 1.07 (0.28, 1.86), P = 0.008] were higher in the RMPP group than in the NRMPP group. Combined pleural effusion (OR = 7.59, 95% CI: 4.19–13.75, P < 0.001) and lung consolidation (OR = 10.61, 95% CI: 4.13–27.26, P < 0.001) were identified as risk factors for RMPP. However, no significant association was found between gender and the incidence of RMPP (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.80–1.02, P = 0.10). The analysis of publication bias indicated that 3 of the 11 factors analyzed [LDH, neutrophils (%), and lung consolidation] showed significant publication bias (P < 0.05).ConclusionOur study further confirmed that elevated inflammatory markers such as CRP, LDH, neutrophils (%), IL-6, ESR, lung consolidation, combined pleural effusion were risk factors for RMPP. For the first time, WBC, ALT, and AST were identified as risk factors for the occurrence of RMPP in children. Additionally, demographic information such as age and gender was also examined in relation to RMPP in children.
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spelling doaj-art-5a594e88c5df42a3b447fa25e8670d332025-08-20T02:35:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pediatrics2296-23602025-06-011310.3389/fped.2025.15126891512689Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysisChun Chen0Shan Chen1Chuanzhong Yang2Xiaolan Zhang3Luohui Liu4Yuejuan Wang5Min Cao6Department of Neonatology, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, ChinaDepartment of Emergency, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, ChinaDepartment of Emergency, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, ChinaDepartment of Emergency, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, ChinaDepartment of Emergency, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, ChinaDepartment of Emergency, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, ChinaBackgroundWith the increase of the incidence rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children and the widespread use of azithromycin, the number of cases of refractory M. pneumoniae increased accordingly. M. pneumoniae infection was generally considered a self-limiting disease. However, under certain special circumstances, it was highly likely to develop into a refractory disease. This study conducted a meta-analysis of early risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP), which was helpful for the early clinical diagnosis of RMPP and the reduction of sequelae.MethodsThis systematic search was conducted in Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wangfang, Sinomed and Cqvip, and the date was set until August 20, 2024. After two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies, a meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 17.0 and RevMan 5.4 software.ResultsTwenty-eight studies including 6374 patients were included in this analysis, and the results showed that the age [MD (95% CI): 0.62 (0.21, 1.03), P = 0.003], LDH [MD (95% CI): 161.57 (128.22, 194.91), P < 0.001], neutrophils (%) [MD (95% CI): 9.27 (3.45, 15.09), P = 0.002], IL-6 [MD (95% CI): 23.07 (20.90, 25.24), P = 0.04], ESR [MD (95% CI): 10.93 (7.75, 14.11), P < 0.001], AST [MD (95% CI): 16.11 (8.21, 24.01), P < 0.001], ALT [MD (95% CI): 23.69 (9.60, 37.77), P = 0.001], CRP [MD (95% CI): 23.72 (18.41, 29.03), P < 0.001], and WBC [MD (95% CI): 1.07 (0.28, 1.86), P = 0.008] were higher in the RMPP group than in the NRMPP group. Combined pleural effusion (OR = 7.59, 95% CI: 4.19–13.75, P < 0.001) and lung consolidation (OR = 10.61, 95% CI: 4.13–27.26, P < 0.001) were identified as risk factors for RMPP. However, no significant association was found between gender and the incidence of RMPP (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.80–1.02, P = 0.10). The analysis of publication bias indicated that 3 of the 11 factors analyzed [LDH, neutrophils (%), and lung consolidation] showed significant publication bias (P < 0.05).ConclusionOur study further confirmed that elevated inflammatory markers such as CRP, LDH, neutrophils (%), IL-6, ESR, lung consolidation, combined pleural effusion were risk factors for RMPP. For the first time, WBC, ALT, and AST were identified as risk factors for the occurrence of RMPP in children. Additionally, demographic information such as age and gender was also examined in relation to RMPP in children.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1512689/fullrefractory mycoplasma pneumoniaechildchildrenriskfactorsmeta-analysis
spellingShingle Chun Chen
Shan Chen
Chuanzhong Yang
Xiaolan Zhang
Luohui Liu
Yuejuan Wang
Min Cao
Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysis
Frontiers in Pediatrics
refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae
child
children
riskfactors
meta-analysis
title Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysis
title_full Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysis
title_fullStr Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysis
title_short Risk factors for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Chinese children: a meta-analysis
title_sort risk factors for refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae in chinese children a meta analysis
topic refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae
child
children
riskfactors
meta-analysis
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1512689/full
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