Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Aug;55(8):2115-2127.
doi: 10.1002/ppul.24869. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

What we know so far about Coronavirus Disease 2019 in children: A meta-analysis of 551 laboratory-confirmed cases

Linjie Zhang  1 , Tyele G Peres  1 , Marcus V F Silva  1 , Paulo Camargos  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

What we know so far about Coronavirus Disease 2019 in children: A meta-analysis of 551 laboratory-confirmed cases

Linjie Zhang et al. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Aim: To summarize what we know so far about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in children.

Method: We searched PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library Online, and Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information from 1 January 2020 to 4 May 2020. We selected randomized trials, observational studies, case series or case reports, and research letters of children ages birth to 18 years with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. We conducted random-effects meta-analyses to calculate the weighted mean prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) or the weighted average means and 95% CI.

Result: Forty-six articles reporting 551 cases of COVID-19 in children (aged 1 day-17.5 years) were included. Eighty-seven percent (95% CI: 77%-95%) of patients had household exposure to COVID-19. The most common symptoms and signs were fever (53%, 95% CI: 45%-61%), cough (39%, 95% CI: 30%-47%), and sore throat/pharyngeal erythema (14%, 95% CI: 4%-28%); however, 18% (95% CI: 11%-27%) of cases were asymptomatic. The most common radiographic and computed tomography (CT) findings were patchy consolidations (33%, 95% CI: 23%-43%) and ground glass opacities (28%, 95% CI: 18%-39%), but 36% (95% CI: 28%-45%) of patients had normal CT images. Antiviral agents were given to 74% of patients (95% CI: 52%-92%). Six patients, all with major underlying medical conditions, needed invasive mechanical ventilation, and one of them died.

Conclusion: Previously healthy children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms. The diagnosis is generally suspected from history of household exposure to COVID-19 case. Children with COVID-19 and major underlying condition are more likely to have severe/critical disease and poor prognosis, even death.

Keywords: COVID-19; CT; meta-analysis; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; signs; symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of study selection. LILACS, Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information; SciELO, Scientific Electronic Library Online
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dong E, Du H, Gardner. An interactive web‐based dashboard to track COVID‐19 in real time. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20:533‐534. 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30120-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) outbreak in China: summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020;323:1239. 10.1001/jama.2020.2648 - DOI - PubMed
    1. CDC COVID‐19 Response Team . Coronavirus disease 2019 in children—United States, 12 February to 2 April 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(14):422‐426. 10.15585/mmwr.mm6914e4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Rapid risk assessment: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic: increased transmission in the EU/EEA and the UK—eighth update. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/rapid-risk-assessment-co.... Accessed 10 April 2020.
    1. Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, et al. A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(8):727‐733. 10.1056/NEJMoa2001017 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances