Compared to other respiratory viruses, the proportion of hospitalizations due to SARS-CoV-2 among children is relatively low. While severe illness is not common among children and young individuals, a particular type of severe condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been reported. The aim of this prospective cohort study, which followed a group of individuals under the age of 19, was to examine the characteristics of patients who had contracted SARS-CoV-2, including their coexisting medical conditions, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and outcomes. The study also aimed to investigate the features of children who met the WHO case definition of MIS-C, as well as those who required intensive care. A total of 270 patients were included between March 2020 and December 2021. The eligible criteria were individuals between 0-18 with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at the Infectious Disease Hospital “Prof. Ivan Kirov” in Sofia, Bulgaria. Nearly 76% of the patients were ≤ 12 years old. In our study, at least one comorbidity was reported in 28.1% of the cases, with obesity being the most common one (8.9%). Less than 5% of children were transferred to an intensive care unit. We observed a statistically significant difference in the age groups, with children between 5 and 12 years old having a higher likelihood of requiring intensive care compared to other age groups. The median values of PaO2 and SatO2 were higher among patients admitted to the standard ward, while the values of granulocytes and C-reactive protein were higher among those transferred to the intensive care unit. Additionally, we identified 26 children who met the WHO case definition for MIS-C. Our study data supports the evidence of milder COVID-19 in children and young individuals as compared to adults. Older age groups were associated with higher incidence of both MIS-C and ICU admissions.
ObjectiveThis study focused on Bulgarian patient cohorts harbouring a single documented chronic comorbidity–cardiovascular pathology, an oncological disease or a chronic pulmonary diseases (CPD) comparing the outcomes in fully vaccinated and non-vaccinated populations classified by sex and age groups in ambulatory, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) settings at the national level.DesignRetrospective analysisSettings, participants and outcome measuresIn total, 1 126 946 patients with confirmed COVID-19, on a national level, were retrospectively analysed between March 2020 and April 2022, using data from the Ministry of Health’s United Information Portal, launched in March 2020.ResultsOf all the confirmed 247 441 hospitalised cases of COVID-19, 67 723 (27.3%) had documented cardiovascular disease (CVD), 2140 (0.9%) had confirmed solid malignancy (regardless of stage) and 3243 (1.3%) had established CPD as their only chronic pathology. The number of cumulative deaths in each subgroup was 10 165 (in-hospital=5812 and ICU=4353); 4.0% vaccinated (410/10 165, p<0.001), 344 (in-hospital=196 and ICU=148), 4.9% vaccinated (17/344, p<0.001), 494 (in-hospital=287 and ICU=207) and 5.2% vaccinated (26/494, p<0.001), respectively. Statistical significance (p<0.001) was obtained in favour of reduced ambulatory, hospitalisation and both in-hospital and ICU-related mortality in the vaccinated cohorts, and BNT162b2 was the most effective at preventing mortality in all age groups.ConclusionsThis retrospective analysis shows that patients vaccinated against COVID-19 demonstrated trends of reduced hospitalisations and premature mortality in patients with CVD, solid malignancy or CPD as a single comorbidity.
The aim of the first study of viral gastroenterocolitis epidemic outbreaks during a 15-year period in a region of Bulgaria, with the elucidation of epidemiological characteristics in terms of etiological structure, clinical diversity and severity, intensity, dynamics, as well as an outline of their significance in the context of the modern level of medical development and current organization of healthcare in this country. The subject of the epidemiological survey was Sofia Province, which has specific geographic, economic, ethnic and social characteristics as neighboring with the capital. The epidemiological study considers thirteen viral gastroenterocolitis epidemic outbreaks during the period under review, characterized by intensity, range, etiology and clinical diversity. Between 2007 and 2022, 4 municipalities in the region with compact Roma population were affected - Samokov, Ihtiman, Pravets and Elin Pelin, as well as a university hospital in Sofia, providing services also to the population in the region.
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