Outcomes of Covid-19 Infections in Children: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, which has had a negative impact worldwide. Our aim was to describe clinical findings and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and Covid-19 disease cared for at a large pediatric tertiary care hospital during the first year of the pandemic. Methods: Patients aged 1 month to 18 years who were diagnosed as having COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2021 were included. The files of patients diagnosed with covid-19 were reviewed retrospectively. Results: 467 children were included in the study. There were 34 (7.3%) patients under one year of age, 111 (23.8%) between 1-5 years, 98 (30.4%) between 5-10 years, 142 (30.4%) between 11-15 years, and 82 (17.6%) age over 15 years. Fever (88.2%), vomiting (32.4%), and diarrhea (29.4%) in patients aged under 1 year, sore throat (36.6%) in patients aged 11-15 years, and dysgeusia (11%), anosmia (14.6%), headache (18.3%), malaise (40.8%), myalgia (28%), and dyspnea (17.1%) in those aged over 15 years of age were found significantly more common compared with the other age groups (p<0.05). Thirty-five (7.5%) patients were asymptomatic, 365 (78.1%) had mild disease, 35 (7.5%) were moderate, 27 (5.8%) were severe, and five (1.07%) were critical. Leukocyte count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ferritin, and C-reactive protein values were significantly higher in hospitalized patients. Four patients died during the study period (0.8%, 4/467). Conclusion: While SARS-CoV-2 infection may be asymptomatic and Covid-19 disease usually has a mild clinical course, some children have severe disease or mortality.