tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pediatr Infect Dis J
. 2021 Dec 21.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003435. Online ahead of print.
Frequency, Characteristics and Complications of COVID-19 in Hospitalized Infants
Charlotte V Hobbs[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kate Woodworth, Cameron C Young, Ashley M Jackson, Margaret M Newhams, Heda Dapul, Mia Maamari, Mark W Hall, Aline B Maddux, Aalok R Singh, Jennifer E Schuster, Courtney M Rowan, Julie C Fitzgerald, Katherine Irby, Michele Kong, Elizabeth H Mack, Mary A Staat, Natalie Z Cvijanovich, Melania M Bembea, Bria M Coates, Natasha B Halasa, Tracie C Walker, Gwenn E McLaughlin, Christopher J Babbitt, Ryan A Nofziger, Laura L Loftis, Tamara T Bradford, Angela P Campbell, Manish M Patel, Adrienne G Randolph, Overcoming COVID-19 Investigators
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Previous studies of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in infants have incompletely characterized factors associated with severe illness or focused on infants born to mothers with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here we highlight demographics, clinical characteristics and laboratory values that differ between infants with and without severe acute COVID-19.
Methods: Active surveillance was performed by the Overcoming COVID-19 network to identify children and adolescents with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-related illness hospitalized at 62 sites in 31 states from March 15 to December 27, 2020. We analyzed patients aged >7 days to <1 year hospitalized with symptomatic acute COVID-19.
Results: We report 232 infants aged >7 days to <1 year hospitalized with acute symptomatic COVID-19 from 37 US hospitals in our cohort from March 15 to December 27, 2020. Among 630 cases of severe COVID-19 in patients aged >7 days to <18 years, 128 (20.3%) were infants. In infants with severe illness from the entire study period, the median age was 2 months, 66% were from racial and ethnic minority groups, 66% were previously healthy, 73% had respiratory complications, 13% received mechanical ventilation and <1% died.
Conclusions: Infants accounted for over a fifth of children aged <18 years hospitalized for severe acute COVID-19, commonly manifesting with respiratory symptoms and complications. Although most infants hospitalized with COVID-19 did not suffer significant complications, longer term outcomes remain unclear. Notably, 75% of infants with severe disease were <6 months of age in this cohort study period, which predated maternal COVID-19 vaccination, underscoring the importance of maternal vaccination for COVID-19 in protecting the mother and infant.
. 2021 Dec 21.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003435. Online ahead of print.
Frequency, Characteristics and Complications of COVID-19 in Hospitalized Infants
Charlotte V Hobbs[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kate Woodworth, Cameron C Young, Ashley M Jackson, Margaret M Newhams, Heda Dapul, Mia Maamari, Mark W Hall, Aline B Maddux, Aalok R Singh, Jennifer E Schuster, Courtney M Rowan, Julie C Fitzgerald, Katherine Irby, Michele Kong, Elizabeth H Mack, Mary A Staat, Natalie Z Cvijanovich, Melania M Bembea, Bria M Coates, Natasha B Halasa, Tracie C Walker, Gwenn E McLaughlin, Christopher J Babbitt, Ryan A Nofziger, Laura L Loftis, Tamara T Bradford, Angela P Campbell, Manish M Patel, Adrienne G Randolph, Overcoming COVID-19 Investigators
Affiliations
- PMID: 34955519
- DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003435
Abstract
Background: Previous studies of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in infants have incompletely characterized factors associated with severe illness or focused on infants born to mothers with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here we highlight demographics, clinical characteristics and laboratory values that differ between infants with and without severe acute COVID-19.
Methods: Active surveillance was performed by the Overcoming COVID-19 network to identify children and adolescents with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-related illness hospitalized at 62 sites in 31 states from March 15 to December 27, 2020. We analyzed patients aged >7 days to <1 year hospitalized with symptomatic acute COVID-19.
Results: We report 232 infants aged >7 days to <1 year hospitalized with acute symptomatic COVID-19 from 37 US hospitals in our cohort from March 15 to December 27, 2020. Among 630 cases of severe COVID-19 in patients aged >7 days to <18 years, 128 (20.3%) were infants. In infants with severe illness from the entire study period, the median age was 2 months, 66% were from racial and ethnic minority groups, 66% were previously healthy, 73% had respiratory complications, 13% received mechanical ventilation and <1% died.
Conclusions: Infants accounted for over a fifth of children aged <18 years hospitalized for severe acute COVID-19, commonly manifesting with respiratory symptoms and complications. Although most infants hospitalized with COVID-19 did not suffer significant complications, longer term outcomes remain unclear. Notably, 75% of infants with severe disease were <6 months of age in this cohort study period, which predated maternal COVID-19 vaccination, underscoring the importance of maternal vaccination for COVID-19 in protecting the mother and infant.