Effectiveness of antiviral therapy for acute respiratory viral infections in frequently ill children
The objective. To assess the effectiveness of antiviral therapy for ARVI with inosine pranobex in a group of children who fall ill frequently. Patients and methods. The observation included 70 frequently ill children aged 3 to 6 years with acute respiratory viral infections. Group 1 - 35 patients, who received antiviral therapy for ARVI with the drug Isoprinosine (inosine pranobex). Group 2 - 35 patients - received ARVI therapy with the drug Orvirem (rimantadine hydrochloride). The control group comprised 30 healthy children of comparable age. The study employed general clinical examination methods; laboratory parameters of intoxication, leukocyte intoxication index (LII), С-reactive protein (CRP) were studied. Laboratory parameters of intoxication were examined twice: at admission and on the 5 <sup>th</sup> day of treatment. Results. Under the effect of inosine pranobex, patients of group 1 had a shorter period of clinical intoxication symptoms: a shorter duration of fever, flabbiness, hyperthermia was arrested by 1.9 day faster, flabbiness disappeared by 1.7 day earlier, loss of appetite - by 1.5 day faster than in patients of group 2. A significant decrease of the duration of catarrhal symptoms (hyperemia of the pharynx - by 2 days; cough - by 1.6 day) (p < 0.05) and of moderate manifestations of disease (by 1.9 day) (p < 0.05) was noted. The use of inosine pranobex contributed to a faster disappearance of clinical symptoms of ARVI and decreased the patients' stay at hospital by 2 days (p < 0.05). In patients of group 1, normalization of CRP and LII was noted by the 5th day of treatment, while in children of group 2 only a tendency of these parameters to decrease and a significant difference with the parameters of group 1 (p < 0.05) and control group (p < 0.05) was recorded during this period. Conclusion. Antiviral therapy with inosine pranobex is effective for treatment of ARVI in frequently ill children. The use of inosine pranobex permits to faster cope with clinical symptoms of respiratory infection and results in a shorter length of stay in hospital.