tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Arch Argent Pediatr
. 2022 Apr;120(2):80-88.
doi: 10.5546/aap.2022.eng.80. Epub 2021 Dec 3.
A multicenter study of confirmed COVID-19 cases: preliminary data on 2690 pediatric patients in Argentina during the first year of the pandemic
[Article in Spanish, English]
Ángela Gentile[SUP] 1 [/SUP], María Del Valle Juárez[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lucía Romero Bollón[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Aldo D Cancellara[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marina Pasinovich[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Martín Brizuela[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Cristina Euliarte[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gabriela N Ensinck[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Carlota Russ[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Liliana Saraceni[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Gabriela Tapponier[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Susana Villa Nova[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Andrea Falaschi[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Analía Garnero[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Pablo Melonari[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Luciana Bellone[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Alejandra Gaiano[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Víctor Pebe Florian[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Elizabeth Bogdanowicz[SUP] 17 [/SUP], M Soledad Areso[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Red de Pediatría COVID-19
Collaborators, Affiliations
Abstract
in English, Spanish
Introduction: The current evidence indicates that the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is lower in the pediatric population but local data are still limited. Objective: To characterize the clinical and epidemiological aspects of COVID-19 infection in patients younger than 18 years in Argentina.
Population and methods: Cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study of confirmed COVID-19 patients aged 0-18 years seen between March 2020 and March 2021 at 19 referral children's hospitals of Argentina. A multivariate analysis was done to identify predictors of severe cases.
Results: A total of 2690 COVID-19 cases were included: 77.7% lived in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires; 50.1% were males; patients' median age was 5.6 years. Of them, 90% were seen during epidemiological weeks 20-47 of 2020; 60.4% had a history of contact with COVID-19 patients; and 96.6% in their family setting. Also, 51.4% had respiratory symptoms; 61.6%, general symptoms; 18.8%, gastrointestinal symptoms; 17.1%, neurological symptoms; 7.2%, other symptoms; and 21.5% were asymptomatic. In addition, 59.4% of patients were hospitalized and 7.4% had a severe or critical course. A total of 57 patients developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome. A history of asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital heart disease, moderate to severe malnutrition, obesity, chronic neurological disease and/or age younger than 6 months were independent predictors of severity. Living in a vulnerable neighborhood was a protective factor.
Conclusions: More than half of cases referred a history of contact with COVID-19 patients in the family setting. Hospitalization was not based on clinical criteria of severity. Severity was associated with the presence of certain comorbidities.
Keywords: COVID-19; child; coronavirus infections; multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
. 2022 Apr;120(2):80-88.
doi: 10.5546/aap.2022.eng.80. Epub 2021 Dec 3.
A multicenter study of confirmed COVID-19 cases: preliminary data on 2690 pediatric patients in Argentina during the first year of the pandemic
[Article in Spanish, English]
Ángela Gentile[SUP] 1 [/SUP], María Del Valle Juárez[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lucía Romero Bollón[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Aldo D Cancellara[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marina Pasinovich[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Martín Brizuela[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Cristina Euliarte[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Gabriela N Ensinck[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Carlota Russ[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Liliana Saraceni[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Gabriela Tapponier[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Susana Villa Nova[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Andrea Falaschi[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Analía Garnero[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Pablo Melonari[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Luciana Bellone[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Alejandra Gaiano[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Víctor Pebe Florian[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Elizabeth Bogdanowicz[SUP] 17 [/SUP], M Soledad Areso[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Red de Pediatría COVID-19
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 35338811
- DOI: 10.5546/aap.2022.eng.80
Abstract
in English, Spanish
Introduction: The current evidence indicates that the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is lower in the pediatric population but local data are still limited. Objective: To characterize the clinical and epidemiological aspects of COVID-19 infection in patients younger than 18 years in Argentina.
Population and methods: Cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study of confirmed COVID-19 patients aged 0-18 years seen between March 2020 and March 2021 at 19 referral children's hospitals of Argentina. A multivariate analysis was done to identify predictors of severe cases.
Results: A total of 2690 COVID-19 cases were included: 77.7% lived in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires; 50.1% were males; patients' median age was 5.6 years. Of them, 90% were seen during epidemiological weeks 20-47 of 2020; 60.4% had a history of contact with COVID-19 patients; and 96.6% in their family setting. Also, 51.4% had respiratory symptoms; 61.6%, general symptoms; 18.8%, gastrointestinal symptoms; 17.1%, neurological symptoms; 7.2%, other symptoms; and 21.5% were asymptomatic. In addition, 59.4% of patients were hospitalized and 7.4% had a severe or critical course. A total of 57 patients developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome. A history of asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital heart disease, moderate to severe malnutrition, obesity, chronic neurological disease and/or age younger than 6 months were independent predictors of severity. Living in a vulnerable neighborhood was a protective factor.
Conclusions: More than half of cases referred a history of contact with COVID-19 patients in the family setting. Hospitalization was not based on clinical criteria of severity. Severity was associated with the presence of certain comorbidities.
Keywords: COVID-19; child; coronavirus infections; multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.