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[Experience in pediatric patients with COVID-19 during the first pandemic wave]
Mayra Rubiños1,2, Silvina Ruvinsky3,2, Claudia González1,2
1Cuidados Intermedios y Moderados, Hospital de Pediatría Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Insights
This study analyzed pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first pandemic wave. Underlying conditions like neurological or respiratory diseases were linked to more severe outcomes in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- The global spread of SARS-CoV-2 highlighted differential disease patterns between adult and pediatric populations.
- Pediatric cases of COVID-19 were generally associated with less severe clinical manifestations compared to adults.
- Understanding the specific impact of SARS-CoV-2 on children is crucial for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the care process, epidemiological and clinical characteristics, and resource utilization in pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- To examine the evolution of the disease in children during the initial phase of the pandemic.
- To identify factors associated with severe disease in pediatric COVID-19 cases.
Main Methods:
- An observational, retrospective study was conducted.
- Data were collected from pediatric patients treated at a highly complex pediatric hospital between April 1 and August 31, 2020.
- A total of 333 pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the analysis.
Main Results:
- The majority of pediatric patients (89%) presented with mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, with fever being the most common symptom (65%).
- Underlying conditions, including neurological disease (OR 4.5), chronic respiratory disease (OR 3.9), and genetic disorders (OR 11), were significantly associated with more severe disease.
- Neurological (OR 2.8) and respiratory symptoms (OR 20.2) were also linked to increased disease severity.
Conclusions:
- Most pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infections during the first pandemic wave were mild.
- Children with specific underlying diseases and certain symptoms faced a higher risk of severe illness.
- Continued surveillance of pediatric patients, especially those with comorbidities, is essential for understanding the pandemic's long-term effects on this group.
Abstract:
Coronavirus 2 infection has spread rapidly throughout the world. Most of the current publications describe different behavior between an adult and pediatric population, this last one is associated with less clinical severity. The purpose of this study was to analyze the process of care, the epidemiological and clinical features, the evolution and the use of resources in pediatric patients with SARS-Cov-2 infection, treated during the first pandemic wave, at the beginning of 2020. An observational and retrospective study was carried out in the pediatric population with SARS-CoV-2 infection, treated in a highly complex pediatric hospital from April 1 to August 31, 2020. A total of 333 patients were included, 175 (53%) residents of the Metropolitan area of Buenos Aires (AMBA). The median age was 5.47 years (IQR 1.1-10.9) and 177 (53%) were women. A total of 209 (63%) patients required hospitalization and 152 (46%) had an underlying disease. Most of the patients (n 295, 89%) had mild/asymptomatic disease and the main symptom was fever (N169, 65%). In the univariate analysis, neurological disease (OR 4.5, IC95% 1.9-11, p 0.002), chronic respiratory disease (OR 3.9, IC95% 1.5-10.3, p 0.002) and genetics (OR 11, IC95%3.4-34.4, p < 0.001), as well as neurological symptoms (OR 2.8, IC95%1.1-6.6, p 0.035) and respiratory (OR 20.2, IC95%8.5-48.2, p 0.001) were associated with more severe disease. Active surveillance of pediatric patients with underlying diseases should continue to define the pandemic's impact on this specific population.
