Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 25, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Hospitalized Pediatric Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Mexico
Gustavo Esteban Lugo-Zamudio1, Antonio Aguilar-Rojas2, Martín Uriel Vázquez-Medina3
1Dirección General, Hospital Juárez de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
Insights
Fever and fatigue at hospital admission, and family contact with SARS-CoV-2, are key risk factors for pediatric COVID-19 in Mexico. This study highlights unique characteristics and higher mortality in Mexican children with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Global evidence indicates lower severe SARS-CoV-2 risk in children versus adults.
- Mexico exhibits unusually high pediatric mortality rates from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Urgent need to understand specific risk factors in Mexican pediatric COVID-19 cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate epidemiological and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized Mexican children.
- To identify risk factors associated with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in this population.
- To compare findings with international pediatric COVID-19 data.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of clinical, imaging, and laboratory data from 121 hospitalized children (March 2020 - August 2021).
- Suspicious cases identified per Mexican General Directorate of Epidemiology guidelines.
- Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 confirmation; Chi-square and propensity score matching for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- 36 out of 121 children had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Family contact with a SARS-CoV-2-infected individual was the primary hospitalization risk factor.
- Fever and fatigue were significantly associated with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in multivariate analysis.
Conclusions:
- Fever, fatigue, and family exposure to SARS-CoV-2 are significant risk factors for pediatric COVID-19 positivity upon hospital admission.
- Clinical and laboratory data from this Mexican cohort differ from global reports.
- The observed pediatric mortality rate (1.6%) in this study exceeds international figures.
Background:
Evidence from across the world suggests that the pediatric population shows different clinical manifestations and has a lower risk of severe presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to adults. However, Mexico has one of the highest mortality rates in the pediatric population due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, our objective was to explore the epidemiological and clinical characteristics associated with a positive confirmatory test in the Mexican pediatric population admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City.
Methods:
Clinical, imaging and laboratory data were retrospectively collected from 121 children hospitalized during the period from March 4th, 2020, to August 8th, 2021. The patients were identified as suspicious cases according to the guidelines of the General Directorate of Epidemiology of Mexico. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests were used to confirm SARS-CoV-2 infection. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test, and propensity score matching was performed to determine univariate and multivariate odds ratios of the population regarding a positive vs. negative SARS-CoV-2 result.
Results:
Of the 121 children, 36 had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The main risk for SARS-CoV-2-associated pediatric hospitalization was contact with a family member with SARS-CoV-2. It was also found that fever and fatigue were statistically significantly associated with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in multivariate models. Clinical and laboratory data in this Mexican hospitalized pediatric cohort differ from other reports worldwide; the mortality rate (1.6%) of the population studied was higher than that seen in reports from other countries.
Conclusion:
Our study found that fever and fatigue at hospital presentation as well as an antecedent exposure to a family member with SARS-CoV-2 infection were important risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 positivity in children at hospital admission.
Related Concept Videos
01:20COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...
01:30Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
01:27Myocarditis II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
01:29Pneumonia II: Pathophysiology
01:25Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
01:21Acute Respiratory Failure-II
The underlying physiological abnormalities that contribute to hypoxemic respiratory failure include: