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Multicenter Study
. 2023 Jul;182(7):3231-3242.
doi: 10.1007/s00431-023-04982-6. Epub 2023 May 4.

A snapshot of pediatric inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19: a point prevalence study from Turkey

Dilek Yılmaz  1 , Gülnihan Üstündağ  2 , Ayşe Büyükçam  3 , Enes Salı  4 , Ümit Çelik  5 , Gülhadiye Avcu  6 , Nurşen Belet  7 , Esra Çakmak Taşkın  8 , Sevliya Öcal Demir  9 , Ahmet Ziya Birbilen  10 , Ömer Kılıç  11 , Özge Metin Akcan  12 , Ayşe Tekin Yılmaz  13 , Bilge Aldemir Kocabaş  14 , Nevin Hatipoğlu  15 , Adem Karbuz  16 , Deniz Çakır  4 , Murat Sütçü  17 , Fatma Deniz Aygün  18 , Taylan Çelik  19 , Semra Bayturan Şen  20 , Nazan Dalgıç  21 , Zühal Ümit  22 , Soner Sertan Kara  23 , Eda Karadağ Öncel  24 , Ahmet Bolat  25 , Merve Kılıç Çil  5 , Caner Turan  26 , Ayşe Çakıl Güzin  7 , Sevgi Topal  27 , Gülser Esen Besli  28 , Gizem Doğan  29 , Sabiha Şahin  30 , Fatih Akın  31 , Yaşar Bildirici  32 , Gülperi Timurtaş Dayar  14 , Emine Ergül Sarı  33 , Didem Kızmaz İşançlı  16 , Manolya Kara  17 , Pınar Önal  18 , Hakan Aylaç  34 , Duygu Lüleci  35 , Belma Yaşar  21 , Elif Dede  36 , Aykut Çağlar  37 , Sevgi Akova  38 , Elif Afat Turgut  5 , Pınar Yazıcı Özkaya  39 , Tuğba Kandemir Gülmez  5 , Emel Ulusoy  40 , Muhterem Duyu  41 , Yalçın Kara  11 , Hüseyin Çeliktaş  31 , Onur Tekeli  14 , Fatma Çağlar  42 , Doruk Gül  43 , Sinem Oral Cebeci  44 , Fatih Battal  34 , Alkan Bal  45 , Emre Aygün  46 , Metin Uysalol  47 , Gazi Arslan  48 , Ayberk Özkavaklı  49 , Mahmut Can Kızıl  11 , Abdullah Yazar  31 , Fatih Aygün  50 , Ayper Somer  36 , Necdet Kuyucu  51 , Ener Çağrı Dinleyici  52 , Ateş Kara  53
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

A snapshot of pediatric inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19: a point prevalence study from Turkey

Dilek Yılmaz et al. Eur J Pediatr. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

This multi-center point prevalence study evaluated children who were diagnosed as having coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). On February 2nd, 2022, inpatients and outpatients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were included in the study from 12 cities and 24 centers in Turkey. Of 8605 patients on February 2nd, 2022, in participating centers, 706 (8.2%) had COVID-19. The median age of the 706 patients was 92.50 months, 53.4% were female, and 76.7% were inpatients. The three most common symptoms of the patients with COVID-19 were fever (56.6%), cough (41.3%), and fatigue (27.5%). The three most common underlying chronic diseases (UCDs) were asthma (3.4%), neurologic disorders (3.3%), and obesity (2.6%). The SARS-CoV-2-related pneumoniae rate was 10.7%. The COVID-19 vaccination rate was 12.5% in all patients. Among patients aged over 12 years with access to the vaccine given by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health, the vaccination rate was 38.7%. Patients with UCDs presented with dyspnea and pneumoniae more frequently than those without UCDs (p < 0.001 for both). The rates of fever, diarrhea, and pneumoniae were higher in patients without COVID-19 vaccinations (p = 0.001, p = 0.012, and p = 0.027). Conclusion: To lessen the effects of the disease, all eligible children should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The illness may specifically endanger children with UCDs. What is Known: • Children with COVID-19 mainly present with fever and cough, as in adults. • COVID-19 may specifically threaten children with underlying chronic diseases. What is New: • Children with obesity have a higher vaccination rate against COVID-19 than children without obesity. • Among unvaccinated children, fever and pneumoniae might be seen at a higher ratio than among vaccinated children.

Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Clinical presentation; Multi-center study; Point prevalence study.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Clinical signs of the patients diagnosed with COVID-19
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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