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Multicenter Study
. 2022 Apr;120(2):80-88.
doi: 10.5546/aap.2022.eng.80. Epub 2021 Dec 3.

A multicenter study of confirmed COVID-19 cases: preliminary data on 2690 pediatric patients in Argentina during the first year of the pandemic

[Article in English, Spanish]
Ángela Gentile  1 , María Del Valle Juárez  2 , Lucía Romero Bollón  2 , Aldo D Cancellara  2 , Marina Pasinovich  3 , Martín Brizuela  4 , Cristina Euliarte  5 , Gabriela N Ensinck  6 , Carlota Russ  7 , Liliana Saraceni  8 , Gabriela Tapponier  9 , Susana Villa Nova  10 , Andrea Falaschi  11 , Analía Garnero  12 , Pablo Melonari  13 , Luciana Bellone  14 , Alejandra Gaiano  15 , Víctor Pebe Florian  16 , Elizabeth Bogdanowicz  17 , M Soledad Areso  18 ; Red de Pediatría COVID-19
Collaborators, Affiliations
Free article
Multicenter Study

A multicenter study of confirmed COVID-19 cases: preliminary data on 2690 pediatric patients in Argentina during the first year of the pandemic

[Article in English, Spanish]
Ángela Gentile et al. Arch Argent Pediatr. 2022 Apr.
Free article

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Introduction: The current evidence indicates that the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is lower in the pediatric population but local data are still limited. Objective: To characterize the clinical and epidemiological aspects of COVID-19 infection in patients younger than 18 years in Argentina.

Population and methods: Cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study of confirmed COVID-19 patients aged 0-18 years seen between March 2020 and March 2021 at 19 referral children's hospitals of Argentina. A multivariate analysis was done to identify predictors of severe cases.

Results: A total of 2690 COVID-19 cases were included: 77.7% lived in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires; 50.1% were males; patients' median age was 5.6 years. Of them, 90% were seen during epidemiological weeks 20-47 of 2020; 60.4% had a history of contact with COVID-19 patients; and 96.6% in their family setting. Also, 51.4% had respiratory symptoms; 61.6%, general symptoms; 18.8%, gastrointestinal symptoms; 17.1%, neurological symptoms; 7.2%, other symptoms; and 21.5% were asymptomatic. In addition, 59.4% of patients were hospitalized and 7.4% had a severe or critical course. A total of 57 patients developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome. A history of asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital heart disease, moderate to severe malnutrition, obesity, chronic neurological disease and/or age younger than 6 months were independent predictors of severity. Living in a vulnerable neighborhood was a protective factor.

Conclusions: More than half of cases referred a history of contact with COVID-19 patients in the family setting. Hospitalization was not based on clinical criteria of severity. Severity was associated with the presence of certain comorbidities.

Introducción. La evidencia actual indica que la gravedad de la enfermedad por el coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19, por su sigla en inglés) es menor en la población pediátrica, los datos locales aún son limitados.

Objetivo: caracterizar los aspectos clínicos y epidemiológicos de la infección por COVID-19 en menores de 18 años en Argentina. Población y métodos. Estudio transversal, observacional y analítico de casos confirmados de COVID-19 entre 0 y 18 años asistidos entre marzo de 2020 y marzo de 2021 en 19 centros pediátricos de referencia de Argentina. Se realizó un análisis multivariado para identificar las variables predictoras de cuadros graves.

Resultados: Se incluyeron 2690 casos de COVID-19: 77,7 % residentes del área metropolitana de Buenos Aires, 50,1 % de sexo masculino, mediana de edad de 5,6 años. El 90 % ocurrió entre las semanas epidemiológicas 2047 del 2020; 60,4 % con antecedente de contacto con personas con COVID-19; y 96,6 % en el entorno familiar. El 51,4 % presentó síntomas respiratorios; 61,6 % síntomas generales; 18,8 % síntomas gastrointestinales; 17,1 % síntomas neurológicos; 7,2 % otros y 21,5 % fueron asintomáticos. El 59,4 % fue hospitalizado; 7,4 % fueron graves o críticos. Se registraron 57 casos de síndrome inflamatorio multisistémico. El antecedente de asma, displasia broncopulmonar, cardiopatía congénita, desnutrición moderada a grave, obesidad, enfermedad neurológica crónica y/o edad menor de 6 meses resultaron predictores independientes de gravedad. Residir en barrios vulnerables resultó protector.

Conclusiones: Más de la mitad de los casos refirieron antecedente de contacto con personas con COVID-19 en el entorno familiar. La hospitalización no respondió a criterios clínicos de gravedad. La gravedad se encuentra asociada a la existencia de ciertas comorbilidades.

Keywords: COVID-19; child; coronavirus infections; multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.

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References

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