The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single Center
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many reports have pointed to age as the most important risk factor for severe COVID-19 in adults, but this relationship is less clear in children. Between March 2020 and April 2022, 1405 pediatric COVID-19 patients were included in our prospective study, which ai...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/24/7347 |
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| author | Lidia Stopyra Aleksandra Kowalik Justyna Stala Ida Majchrzak Justyna Szebla Mateusz Jakosz Przemko Kwinta |
| author_facet | Lidia Stopyra Aleksandra Kowalik Justyna Stala Ida Majchrzak Justyna Szebla Mateusz Jakosz Przemko Kwinta |
| author_sort | Lidia Stopyra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since the beginning of the pandemic, many reports have pointed to age as the most important risk factor for severe COVID-19 in adults, but this relationship is less clear in children. Between March 2020 and April 2022, 1405 pediatric COVID-19 patients were included in our prospective study, which aimed to analyze the disease’s characteristics in three age groups: infants, toddlers (1–5 years), and children (5–18 years). We observed male prevalence of the disease in infants and toddlers compared to female prevalence in children. Comorbidities appeared most often in children. In the first pandemic wave, the vast majority of pediatric patients were children, but later, the percentage of infant and toddler patients increased significantly. A total of 74% of hospitalized children were younger than five years. Upper respiratory tract symptoms were most common in infants and toddlers, and lower respiratory tract symptoms and gastroenterocolitis were more common in children. Neurological symptoms appeared similarly in all age groups. The activities of ALT, CK, and LDH were the most elevated in infants, along with D-dimers. The median length of hospitalization fluctuated between three and four days and was highest in infants. Severe courses were more common in adolescents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:17:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb10e2cf8c404c5c983b6ad0aec709ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0383 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:17:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb10e2cf8c404c5c983b6ad0aec709ec2023-11-24T15:44:01ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832022-12-011124734710.3390/jcm11247347The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single CenterLidia Stopyra0Aleksandra Kowalik1Justyna Stala2Ida Majchrzak3Justyna Szebla4Mateusz Jakosz5Przemko Kwinta6Department of Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics, Zeromski Specialist Hospital in Krakow, 30-931 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Pediatrics, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-663 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics, Zeromski Specialist Hospital in Krakow, 30-931 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics, Zeromski Specialist Hospital in Krakow, 30-931 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics, Zeromski Specialist Hospital in Krakow, 30-931 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics, Zeromski Specialist Hospital in Krakow, 30-931 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Pediatrics, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-663 Kraków, PolandSince the beginning of the pandemic, many reports have pointed to age as the most important risk factor for severe COVID-19 in adults, but this relationship is less clear in children. Between March 2020 and April 2022, 1405 pediatric COVID-19 patients were included in our prospective study, which aimed to analyze the disease’s characteristics in three age groups: infants, toddlers (1–5 years), and children (5–18 years). We observed male prevalence of the disease in infants and toddlers compared to female prevalence in children. Comorbidities appeared most often in children. In the first pandemic wave, the vast majority of pediatric patients were children, but later, the percentage of infant and toddler patients increased significantly. A total of 74% of hospitalized children were younger than five years. Upper respiratory tract symptoms were most common in infants and toddlers, and lower respiratory tract symptoms and gastroenterocolitis were more common in children. Neurological symptoms appeared similarly in all age groups. The activities of ALT, CK, and LDH were the most elevated in infants, along with D-dimers. The median length of hospitalization fluctuated between three and four days and was highest in infants. Severe courses were more common in adolescents.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/24/7347SARS-CoV-2COVID-19childrenageclinical presentation |
| spellingShingle | Lidia Stopyra Aleksandra Kowalik Justyna Stala Ida Majchrzak Justyna Szebla Mateusz Jakosz Przemko Kwinta The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single Center Journal of Clinical Medicine SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 children age clinical presentation |
| title | The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single Center |
| title_full | The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single Center |
| title_fullStr | The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single Center |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single Center |
| title_short | The Age-Related Course of COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients—1405 Cases in a Single Center |
| title_sort | age related course of covid 19 in pediatric patients 1405 cases in a single center |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 children age clinical presentation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/24/7347 |
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