Clinical and laboratory characteristics of children with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Issue 12 (13th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Berksoy, Emel; Kanik, Ali; Çiçek, Alper; Bardak, Şefika; Elibol, Pelin; Demir, Gülşah; Yilmaz, Nisel; Nalbant, Tuğçe; Gökalp, Gamze; Yilmaz Çiftdoğan, Dilek
• Is Part Of: Pediatric pulmonology. Volume 56:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: 3674
• Page End: 3681
• Publication Date: 2021-09-13
• Subjects: children -- clinical features -- COVID‐19 -- SARS‐CoV‐2; Pediatric respiratory diseases -- Periodicals; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; 618.922
• DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25654
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 8755-6863

Abstract

Abstract: We describe the demographic, clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings of 422 children (0–18 year‐of‐age) suspected of having severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection admitted to a pediatric emergency department between March 23, and July 23, 2020. We compared the characteristics of SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive patients to SARS‐CoV‐2‐negative patients. SARS‐CoV‐2 infection was confirmed in 78 (18.4%). Fever (51.2%) and cough (43.5%) were the most commonly reported signs in the SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive patients. Isolated rhinorrhea (7.2%) was reported only in the SARS‐CoV‐2‐negative group ( p = .0014). Patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection were classified according to severity, with the percentages of asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe, and critical cases determined to be 29.5%, 56.4%, 12.9%, 1.2%, and 0%, respectively. Of the 422 children, 128 (30.3%) underwent nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction testing for other respiratory viral pathogens; 21 (16.4%) were infected with viral pathogens other than SARS‐CoV‐2. Only one patient (4.7%) with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) disease was coinfected with respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus. The results indicate lower median white blood cell, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts, lower lactate dehydrogenase, d ‐dimer, and procalcitonin levels in the SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive group ( p ≤ .001). Our findings confirm that COVID‐19 in children has a mild presentation. In our cohort, no patient with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection had isolated rhinorrhea.