Childhood Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Taiwan and How to Differentiate It From Childhood Influenza Infection

Abstract

Childhood SARS is usually not fatal. The absence of rhinorrhea and presence of monocytopenia in SARS may distinguish it from influenza.

SARS Coronavirus 2, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Children: A Review on Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, and Diagnosis

“…Radiographic findings, including patchy infiltrates, opacities, and areas of consolidation with multifocal lesions, predominantly in lower lobes, were detected in infected pediatrics from the early onset of symptoms, which was in contrast to reports from adult patients (11,17). The most common laboratory test findings among pediatric patients included lymphopenia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (17)(18)(19). However, lymphopenia was not detected in a group of children who did not receive corticosteroids (12,20).…”

Pandemic Flu

“…In influenza A thrombocytopenia (<100) is found in 5 7% 71,84 . Thrombocytopenia was found in four out of seven cases of H5N1 infection in Vietnamese children 125 .…”

Human Coronaviruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 in Children

“…Among children affected by SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, females are infected slightly more than males (Al-Sehaibany, 2017; Chang et al, 2004;Hon et al, 2003;Memish et al, 2014;Thabet, Chehab, Bafaqih, & Al, 2015). Most of the children with SARS did not have underlying conditions except for two children reported with epilepsy and spontaneous pneumothorax.…”

“…In contrast, children with MERS showed underlying diseases, like renal failure, cystic fibrosis, and Down syndrome. Also, coinfection with influenza is reported in children with MERS (Bartenfeld, Griese, Uyeki, Gerber, & Peacock, 2017b;Chang et al, 2004;Memish et al, 2014;Thabet et al, 2015). Searching the exposure history of contaminated children, the majority of them had at least one of the history of traveling to endemic areas, contact with health care workers, household contact, or experiencing community outbreaks in 14 days before the initiation of the disease (Bartenfeld et al, 2017b;Chang et al, 2004;Hon et al, 2003;Memish et al, 2014;Ng, Leung, Chiu, Wong, & Hon, 2004;Thabet et al, 2015).…”