tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Infect Drug Resist
. 2020 Jul 31;13:2649-2655.
doi: 10.2147/IDR.S259064. eCollection 2020.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Children: A Study in an Iranian Children's Referral Hospital
Shima Mahmoudi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mehrzad Mehdizadeh[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Reza Shervin Badv[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amene Navaeian[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Babak Pourakbari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maryam Rostamyan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Meisam Sharifzadeh Ekbatani[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hamid Eshaghi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mohammad Reza Abdolsalehi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hosein Alimadadi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zahra Movahedi[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Setareh Mamishi[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Despite the worldwide spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the epidemiological and clinical patterns of the COVID-19 infection remain largely unclear, particularly among children. In this study, we explored the epidemiological characteristics, clinical patterns, and laboratory and imaging findings of pediatric patients with COVID-19.
Materials and methods: From March 7 to March 30, 2020, there were a total of 35 patients who had confirmed COVID-19 infection by laboratory virus nucleic acid test (RT-PCR) assay with throat swab samples or typical chest CT manifestation compatible with COVID-19, in addition to a history of close contact with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in family members. Information recorded included demographic data, medical history, exposure history, underlying comorbidities, symptoms, signs, laboratory findings and radiologic assessments, severity of disease, treatment, and mortality.
Results: The median age of the patients was 7.5 years (IQR=4-11; range=4 months to 15 years). A total of 63% were male. Cough was present in 80% of the patients, followed by fever (77%), nausea or vomiting (29%), diarrhea (26%), shortness of breath (29%), headache (20%), and myalgia (14%). Lymphopenia was present in 43% of the patients, thrombocytopenia in 9%, neutopenia in 8%, and leucopenia in 26%. We reported severe pneumonia in 40% of the hospitalized patients and 18 (51%) had underlying diseases. Of 35 patients, 11 had positive RT-PCR results (31%). The chest CT images of 24 patients (69%) suggested COVID-19, while their RT-PCR assays from throat swab samples were negative.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates different clinical findings of pediatrics compared to the previous reports of children. Since a high rate of false negative RT-PCR test was observed, early detection of children with COVID-19 infection by CT is conducive to reasonable management and early treatment.
Keywords: COVID-19; Iran; children; severe pneumonia.
. 2020 Jul 31;13:2649-2655.
doi: 10.2147/IDR.S259064. eCollection 2020.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Children: A Study in an Iranian Children's Referral Hospital
Shima Mahmoudi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mehrzad Mehdizadeh[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Reza Shervin Badv[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amene Navaeian[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Babak Pourakbari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maryam Rostamyan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Meisam Sharifzadeh Ekbatani[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hamid Eshaghi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mohammad Reza Abdolsalehi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hosein Alimadadi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Zahra Movahedi[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Setareh Mamishi[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32801803
- PMCID: PMC7406067
- DOI: 10.2147/IDR.S259064
Abstract
Background: Despite the worldwide spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the epidemiological and clinical patterns of the COVID-19 infection remain largely unclear, particularly among children. In this study, we explored the epidemiological characteristics, clinical patterns, and laboratory and imaging findings of pediatric patients with COVID-19.
Materials and methods: From March 7 to March 30, 2020, there were a total of 35 patients who had confirmed COVID-19 infection by laboratory virus nucleic acid test (RT-PCR) assay with throat swab samples or typical chest CT manifestation compatible with COVID-19, in addition to a history of close contact with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in family members. Information recorded included demographic data, medical history, exposure history, underlying comorbidities, symptoms, signs, laboratory findings and radiologic assessments, severity of disease, treatment, and mortality.
Results: The median age of the patients was 7.5 years (IQR=4-11; range=4 months to 15 years). A total of 63% were male. Cough was present in 80% of the patients, followed by fever (77%), nausea or vomiting (29%), diarrhea (26%), shortness of breath (29%), headache (20%), and myalgia (14%). Lymphopenia was present in 43% of the patients, thrombocytopenia in 9%, neutopenia in 8%, and leucopenia in 26%. We reported severe pneumonia in 40% of the hospitalized patients and 18 (51%) had underlying diseases. Of 35 patients, 11 had positive RT-PCR results (31%). The chest CT images of 24 patients (69%) suggested COVID-19, while their RT-PCR assays from throat swab samples were negative.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates different clinical findings of pediatrics compared to the previous reports of children. Since a high rate of false negative RT-PCR test was observed, early detection of children with COVID-19 infection by CT is conducive to reasonable management and early treatment.
Keywords: COVID-19; Iran; children; severe pneumonia.