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Short-term complications and post-acute sequelae in hospitalized paediatric patients with COVID-19 and obesity: A

Gonzalo Valenzuela1,2, Gonzalo Alarcón-Andrade1, Clara Schulze-Schiapacasse1

  • 1Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Pediatric Obesity
|October 12, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Children with obesity hospitalized for COVID-19 face higher risks of severe short-term complications and long-term sequelae. This highlights the need to recognize obesity as a key comorbidity for targeted prevention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Public health
  • Obesity research

Background:

  • Obesity is a known risk factor for severe COVID-19 in adults.
  • The impact of obesity on short-term complications and post-acute sequelae in pediatric COVID-19 patients remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between obesity and short-term complications in hospitalized pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • To evaluate the link between obesity and post-acute sequelae in this patient group.

Main Methods:

  • An observational study included 216 hospitalized pediatric patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2.
  • Obesity was defined using WHO (0-2 years) and CDC (2-20 years) growth references.
  • Outcomes included ICU admission, ventilatory support, superinfections, acute kidney injury, mortality, and post-acute sequelae (neurological, respiratory, cardiological symptoms).

Main Results:

  • Obesity was associated with increased odds of ICU admission (aOR=5.63), oxygen requirement (aOR=2.77), non-invasive ventilation (aOR=6.81), and superinfections (aOR=3.02).
  • Obese children had higher risks of suspected bacterial pneumonia (aOR=3.00).
  • Post-acute sequelae linked to obesity included dyspnea (aOR=9.91) and muscle weakness (aOR=20.04).

Conclusions:

  • Obesity is significantly associated with severe short-term outcomes and post-acute sequelae in hospitalized pediatric COVID-19 patients.
  • Identifying obesity as a critical comorbidity is vital for developing targeted prevention and management strategies for pediatric COVID-19 complications.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19adolescentchildintensive care unitsobesitypost-acute COVID-19 syndrome

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