{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,3]],"date-time":"2026-10-03T01:42:00Z","timestamp":1790991720524,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,29]],"date-time":"2025-01-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1738108800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and clinical outcomes of rotavirus infections in the pediatric population.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This retrospective study was conducted at the Pediatrics Clinic of G\u00fclhane Research and Training Hospital, analyzing data from the pre-COVID-19 period (January 1, 2017 \u2013 January 1, 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic period (March 11, 2020 \u2013 August 31, 2022). Patient data, including demographic characteristics, presenting complaints, laboratory results, and hospitalization status, were collected from hospital records. Statistical comparisons were made to evaluate changes in rotavirus infection patterns between the two examined periods.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The data of a total of 3,915 pediatric patients with diarrhea were included, with 468 (6.8%) testing positive for rotavirus. Three hundred and forty of these cases (72.6%) were detected during the COVID-19 pandemic period, while 128 cases (27.4%) were detected before the pandemic period. The median age of the patients was 2\u202fyears, while 62.7% were under 2\u202fyears of age. Significant differences were found between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods in terms of the number of emergency department visits (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.003), the duration of emergency observations (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.001) and the rates of patient visits from urban or rural centers (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.001). Laboratory parameters, including blood sodium levels (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.02), neutrophil counts (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.02), base excess (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.03), and bicarbonate levels (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.05), also showed significant differences. Factors influencing hospitalization were found to be emergency department observation time (hours) with an OR of 0.91, 95% CI (0.867\u20130.974) (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.005), blood glucose levels with an OR of 1.03, 95% CI (1.02\u20131.05) (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.002), serum potassium levels with an OR of 2.36, 95% CI (1.14\u20134.87) (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.02), and CRP levels with an OR of 1.02, 95% CI (1.01\u20131.03) (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.006).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The results of this study emphasize the need for targeted interventions to manage rotavirus infections, particularly in the context of ongoing public health challenges. Understanding the COVID-19 pandemic\u2019s effects on rotavirus epidemiology is crucial for developing effective strategies to mitigate severe outcomes in vulnerable pediatric populations.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1495848","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,29]],"date-time":"2025-01-29T12:57:04Z","timestamp":1738155424000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Rotavirus infections in the pediatric population: a comparative study of pre-COVID and COVID-19 pandemic periods"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Bahar","family":"\u00d6ztelcan G\u00fcnd\u00fcz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kaz\u0131m","family":"Kutlut\u00fcrk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"B\u00fclent","family":"\u00dcnay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.5152\/ced.2013.1509","article-title":"Gastrointestinal infections","volume":"8","author":"Kurug\u00f6l","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Pediatr Inf"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"264","DOI":"10.5222\/TMCD.2018.264","article-title":"Be\u015f ya\u015f\u0131n alt\u0131ndaki akut gastroenteritli \u00e7ocuklarda rotavir\u00fcs, enterik adenovir\u00fcs ve norovir\u00fcs insidans\u0131","volume":"48","author":"Ga","year":"2018","journal-title":"T\u00fcrk Mikrobiyoloji Cemiyeti Dergisi"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/nrdp.2017.83","article-title":"Rotavirus infection","volume":"3","author":"Crawford","year":"2017","journal-title":"Nat Rev Dis Primers"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"138","DOI":"10.19127\/bshealthscience.985870","article-title":"Nozokomiyal rotavir\u00fcs enfeksiyonlar\u0131","volume":"5","author":"Alkan","year":"2022","journal-title":"BSJ Health Sci"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3358","DOI":"10.18203\/2394-6040.ijcmph20183061","article-title":"A study on prevalence of rotavirus infection in children below 5 years, with acute gastroenteritis","volume":"5","author":"Dass","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int J Commun Med Public Health"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.13846","article-title":"Diagnostic accuracy of rotavirus antigen tests in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"28","author":"Hung","year":"2023","journal-title":"Trop Med Int Health"},{"key":"ref7","first-page":"46","article-title":"The management of rotavirus disease in children","volume":"84","author":"Schellack","year":"2017","journal-title":"SA Pharm J"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"220","DOI":"10.51253\/pafmj.v72i1.5919","article-title":"Burden of Rota virus gastroenteritis in children under 5 years of age","volume":"72","author":"Noor","year":"2022","journal-title":"Pakistan Armed Forces Med J"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1186","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jiph.2021.08.004","article-title":"Changing epidemiology of influenza and other respiratory viruses in the first year of COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"14","author":"Agca","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Infect Public Health"},{"key":"ref10","article-title":"T.C.Sa\u011fl\u0131k Bakanl\u0131\u011f\u0131 COVID-19 Bilgilendirme Platformu. 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