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. 2021 May;180(5):1659-1663.
doi: 10.1007/s00431-021-03955-x. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Demographic predictors of hospitalization and mortality in US children with COVID-19

Alvaro Moreira  1 , Kevin Chorath  2 , Karthik Rajasekaran  2 , Fiona Burmeister  3 , Mubbasheer Ahmed  4 , Axel Moreira  4
Affiliations

Demographic predictors of hospitalization and mortality in US children with COVID-19

Alvaro Moreira et al. Eur J Pediatr. 2021 May.

Abstract

Understanding which children are at increased risk for poor outcome with COVID-19 is critical. In this study, we link pediatric population-based data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention to COVID-19 hospitalization and in-hospital death. In 27,045 US children with confirmed COVID-19, we demonstrate that African American [OR 2.28 (95% CI: 1.93, 2.70)] or mixed race [OR 2.95 (95% CI: 2.28, 3.82)] and an underlying medical condition [OR 3.55 (95% CI: 3.14, 4.01)] are strong predictors for hospitalization. Death occurred in 39 (0.19%) of 20,096 hospitalized children; children with a prior medical condition had an increased odd for death [OR 8.8 (95% CI: 3.7, 21.1)].Conclusion: Hospitalization and in-hospital death are rare in children diagnosed with COVID-19. However, children at higher risk for these outcomes include those with an underlying medical condition, as well as those of African American descent. What is Known: • Demographic factors are independent prognosticators of poor outcome in children with COVID-19. What is New: • Children with an underlying medical condition and those from an African American or mixed race/ethnicity are at high risk for COVID-19 hospitalization. • History of a comorbidity supersedes age, gender, and race/ethnicity as a risk factor for in-hospital pediatric COVID-19 death.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-NET; Children; Pediatric; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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