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. 2021 Mar 16:9:649358.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.649358. eCollection 2021.

Epidemiology, Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results From an Italian Multicenter Study

Silvia Garazzino  1 , Andrea Lo Vecchio  2 , Luca Pierantoni  3 , Francesca Ippolita Calò Carducci  4 , Federico Marchetti  5 , Antonella Meini  6 , Elio Castagnola  7 , Gianluca Vergine  8 , Daniele Donà  9 , Samantha Bosis  10 , Icilio Dodi  11 , Elisabetta Venturini  12 , Enrico Felici  13 , Roberta Giacchero  14 , Marco Denina  1 , Luca Pierri  2 , Giangiacomo Nicolini  15 , Carlotta Montagnani  12 , Andrzej Krzysztofiak  4 , Sonia Bianchini  16 , Caterina Marabotto  4 , Pier-Angelo Tovo  1 , Giulia Pruccoli  1 , Marcello Lanari  3 , Alberto Villani  4 , Guido Castelli Gattinara  4 ; Italian SITIP-SIP Pediatric Infection Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Epidemiology, Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results From an Italian Multicenter Study

Silvia Garazzino et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Many aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents remain unclear and optimal treatment is debated. The objective of our study was to investigate epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection, focusing on risk factors for complicated and critical disease. Methods: The present multicenter Italian study was promoted by the Italian Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, involving both pediatric hospitals and general pediatricians/family doctors. All subjects under 18 years of age with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and referred to the coordinating center were enrolled from March 2020. Results: As of 15 September 2020, 759 children were enrolled (median age 7.2 years, IQR 1.4; 12.4). Among the 688 symptomatic children, fever was the most common symptom (81.9%). Barely 47% of children were hospitalized for COVID-19. Age was inversely related to hospital admission (p < 0.01) and linearly to length of stay (p = 0.014). One hundred forty-nine children (19.6%) developed complications. Comorbidities were risk factors for complications (p < 0.001). Viral coinfections, underlying clinical conditions, age 5-9 years and lymphopenia were statistically related to ICU admission (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Complications of COVID-19 in children are related to comorbidities and increase with age. Viral co-infections are additional risk factors for disease progression and multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporarily related to COVID-19 (MIS-C) for ICU admission.

Keywords: COVID-19; MIS-C; SARS-CoV-2 infection; children; multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
COVID-19-related clinical manifestations according to age.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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