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COVID-19 Disease Severity Risk Factors for Pediatric Patients in Italy

Stefania Bellino1,2, Ornella Punzo3,2, Maria Cristina Rota3

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy; stefania.bellino@iss.it.

Pediatrics
|July 16, 2020
PubMed

Insights

COVID-19 in Italian children is generally mild, but infants under one year and those with underlying conditions face higher severity risks. Understanding pediatric COVID-19 is crucial for public health strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has a significant global impact, necessitating understanding across all age groups.
  • Pediatric COVID-19 cases require specific characterization to inform public health responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To detail the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 in pediatric patients (<18 years) in Italy.
  • To identify risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 disease in children.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of national surveillance data for confirmed COVID-19 infections up to May 8, 2020.
  • Stratification of pediatric cases by age groups (0-1, 2-6, 7-12, 13-18 years).
  • Multivariable logistic regression to assess risk factors for severity, with comparisons between children, adults, and the elderly.

Main Results:

  • 3836 pediatric cases represented 1.8% of total infections, with a median age of 11 years.
  • 13.3% of pediatric patients were hospitalized, 4.3% had severe disease (higher in children ≤6 years), and 3.5% of hospitalized cases required ICU admission.
  • Increasing age and calendar time correlated with lower severity risk, while underlying medical conditions significantly increased severity risk (OR=2.80).

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric COVID-19 cases are generally less severe than adult cases.
  • Age under one year and pre-existing medical conditions are key risk factors for severe COVID-19 in children.
  • Further understanding of pediatric COVID-19 is vital for disease pathogenesis insights, healthcare, and public health policy development.
Abstract

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