Detection of Viral Agents in Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Patients with Hematological Malignancy

Detection of viral agents in upper and lower respiratory tract infections in patients with hematological malignancies Objective: Viral respiratory tract infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. In this study, it was aimed to determine the frequency of viral agents in respiratory tract infections and to define the factors. Materials and Methods: Patients hospitalized and followed up in the Department of Internal Medicine Hematology were included in the study. Nasopharyngeal swab samples taken from patients with respiratory tract infection findings at their first admission were studied using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction method. Patient's age, gender, diagnosis of primary disease, comorbid diseases, chemotherapy and steroid use, bone marrow transplant history, respiratory symptoms, lung computer tomography findings, serum white blood cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil and thrombocyte counts, biochemical parameters, additional viral the factors were recorded. Results: 43 patients with a mean age of 48 years were included in the study. % 62,8 of our patients were men. The most common primary disease diagnosis was acute myeloid leukemia (% 34,9). At least one respiratory tract virus was detected in % 41,8 of our patients. The most common virus we detected was influenza A (% 23,3). At least one virus was isolated in % 61,1 of our patients with lymphopenia. The lower respiratory tract infection rate in our patients was % 60,5. In patients with pneumonia, ground glass densities (% 32,6) were detected most frequently on radiological imaging, and most of these patients had a history of recent chemotherapy. Most patients with a history of bone marrow transplant and over 65 years of age had pneumonia. The most common accompanying infection was bacterial pneumonia (% 13,9). Conclusion: Viruses are an important factor in patients who are followed up for hematological malignancy and present with respiratory tract infection. The most frequently detected viruses in these patients are Respiratory syncytial virus, Influenza A and B, Parainfluenza virus, Rhinovirus, Human metapneumovirus, Adenovirus, Coronavirus and Bocavirus, and methods such as PCR are valuable in rapid diagnosis. Key words: Hematological malignancy, Respiratory viral infection, PCR.