Clinical Characteristics Analysis of Bronchopneumonia in Children: A Retrospective Study Based on 418 Cases

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of 418 children with bronchopneumonia and provide evidence for early clinical identification and intervention.  Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 418 children with bronchopneumonia who were admitted to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Yulin City and underwent six respiratory pathogen tests (fluorescent PCR method) and chest X-rays. The diagnostic criteria were based on the Zhu Futang Practical Pediatrics (8th edition) (Hu & Jiang, 2015). Statistical analysis included age distribution, primary initial symptoms (fever, cough, fever with cough), laboratory results (bacterial, mycoplasma, viral), and imaging findings (chest X-ray).  Results: In this study, children aged 1–7 years accounted for the highest proportion of bronchopneumonia cases (67.2%), followed by those aged 8–14 years (25.1%), <1 year (7.2%), and >14 years (1.0%). The most common initial symptom was cough (59.57%), followed by fever with cough (30.38%). Viral infections were the most prevalent (55.98%), followed by mycoplasma infections (38.28%). Bilateral lung involvement (67.2%) was more common than unilateral involvement (32.8%).  Conclusion: Bronchopneumonia is most prevalent in children aged 1–7 years, and cough is the most common initial symptom. Clinical attention should focus on early diagnosis and treatment for this age group. Viral infections are the leading cause of bronchopneumonia, and bilateral lung involvement is common.