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. 2021 Oct 30;10(21):5098.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10215098.

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of 1283 Pediatric Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 during the First and Second Waves of the Pandemic-Results of the Pediatric Part of a Multicenter Polish Register SARSTer

Maria Pokorska-Śpiewak  1 , Ewa Talarek  1 , Anna Mania  2 , Małgorzata Pawłowska  3 , Jolanta Popielska  1 , Konrad Zawadka  1 , Magdalena Figlerowicz  2 , Katarzyna Mazur-Melewska  2 , Kamil Faltin  2 , Przemysław Ciechanowski  4 , Joanna Łasecka-Zadrożna  4 , Józef Rudnicki  4 , Barbara Hasiec  5 , Martyna Stani  5 , Paulina Frańczak-Chmura  5 , Izabela Zaleska  6 , Leszek Szenborn  6 , Kacper Toczyłowski  7 , Artur Sulik  7 , Barbara Szczepańska  8 , Ilona Pałyga-Bysiecka  8 , Izabela Kucharek  9 , Adam Sybilski  9 , Małgorzata Sobolewska-Pilarczyk  3 , Urszula Dryja  10 , Ewa Majda-Stanisławska  10 , Sławomira Niedźwiecka  11 , Ernest Kuchar  12 , Bolesław Kalicki  13 , Anna Gorczyca  14 , Magdalena Marczyńska  1
Affiliations

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of 1283 Pediatric Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 during the First and Second Waves of the Pandemic-Results of the Pediatric Part of a Multicenter Polish Register SARSTer

Maria Pokorska-Śpiewak et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

This prospective multicenter cohort study aimed to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children. The study, based on the pediatric part of the Polish SARSTer register, included 1283 children (0 to 18 years) who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2020. Household contact was reported in 56% of cases, more frequently in younger children. Fever was the most common symptom (46%). The youngest children (0-5 years) more frequently presented with fever, rhinitis and diarrhea. Teenagers more often complained of headache, sore throat, anosmia/ageusia and weakness. One fifth of patients were reported to be asymptomatic. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 12% of patients, more frequently in younger children. During the second wave patients were younger than during the first wave (median age 53 vs. 102 months, p < 0.0001) and required longer hospitalization (p < 0.0001). Significantly fewer asymptomatic patients were noted and pneumonia as well as gastrointestinal symptoms were more common. The epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients and the clinical presentation of COVID-19 are age-related. Younger children were more frequently infected by close relatives, more often suffered from pneumonia and gastrointestinal symptoms and required hospitalization. Clinical courses differed significantly during the first two waves of the pandemic.

Keywords: children; clinical presentation; coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); epidemiology; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The number of COVID-19 cases in pediatric patients reported in the SARSTer-PED register throughout 2020.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clinical symptoms of COVID-19 in 1283 children. Data are presented as the frequency of the symptoms (%).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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