The Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 81 Children with COVID-19 in a Pandemic Hospital in Turkey: an Observational Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected millions of people throughout the world since December 2019. However, there is a limited amount of data about pediatric patients infected with the disease agent, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods: The epidemiological, laboratory, radiological, and treatment features of the pediatric patients who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 based on the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, were investigated retrospectively. Results: The median age of 81 children included in the study was 9.50 years (0-17.75 years). The most frequent symptoms at the time of admission were fever (58%), cough (52%), and fatigue or myalgia (19%). The abnormal laboratory findings in these cases were decreased lymphocytes (2.5%, n = 2), leucopenia (5%, n = 4), and increased lactate dehydrogenase (17.2%, n = 14), C-reactive protein (16%, n = 13), procalcitonin (3.7%, n = 3), and D-dimer (12.3%, n = 10). Three (4%) patients had consolidation in chest computed tomography, and three (4%) had ground-glass opacities. None of the patients needed intensive care except for the newborns. The median time to turn SARS-CoV-2 negative in the RT-PCR test was 5 (3-10) days. The median length of hospital stay was 5 (4-10) days. The time to turn SARS-CoV-2 negative in the RT-PCR test and the length of hospital stay were significantly longer for those aged five years or younger than others (P = 0.037, P = 0.01). Conclusion: Compared to adults, COVID-19 is milder and more distinctive in children. As a result, more conservative approaches might be preferred in children for the diagnostic, clinical, and even therapeutic applications.

Neuromuscular presentations in patients with COVID-19

“…We identified 96 studies of COVID-19-related myalgia. After exclusion of descriptive reviews, data in other than English language, and duplicate studies, we selected 13 studies and 2 meta-analysis comprising of 10 and 55 studies, respectively (Table 1) [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

COVID-19 under 19: A Meta-analysis

“…In addition, the variations of diagnostic and therapeutic protocols in different parts of the world and its transformation with the evolving pandemic affects the outcomes reported. Despite the lack of data-rich MIS-C literature published until early July 2020, three MIS-C studies were included in our meta-analysis with 26 patients presenting with prolonged fever and a combination of signs and symptoms such as gastrointestinal manifestations, rash, conjunctivitis, shock with or without multiorgan failure [20][21][22] . More data on MIS-C is needed to better equip clinicians and epidemiologists in navigating the rough seas of this global pandemic.…”

Hematological manifestations of SARS‐CoV‐2 in children

“…Original studies published up to July 27, 2020 [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] providing data on white blood cell (WBC) abnormalities in children with COVID-19 are shown in Table 1.…”