Abstract
Background: Although less severe than in adults, children can experience
a range of COVID-19 symptoms, from asymptomatic to life-threatening,
including respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. Medical conditions
may also increase the severity of the disease in infected children.
Methods: A study was performed at a single center, comparing cases and
controls, and involving 253 pediatric patients who had been diagnosed
with COVID-19. Two different outcomes were assessed. The first
categorized symptomatic individuals who were hospitalized with COVID-19
(Hospital) from those who were not (Nonhospital). The second categorized
admitted individuals who spent at least one day in the intensive care
unit (ICU) from those who did not require ICU (Floor). Results: Ninety
individuals (36%) had at least one underlying medical condition, with
the most common being pulmonary disorders, such as asthma (12%),
followed by neurodevelopmental disorders (8%), gastrointestinal
disorders (6%). The Hospital group was more likely to have any
comorbidity such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), diabetes mellitus,
seizure disorder, hypertension, sickle cell disease, neurodevelopmental
disorder, and immunocompromising conditions including cancer, bone
marrow transplant, and other immunodeficiencies, compared to the
Nonhospital group. Abdominal pain was more common in the Hospital group.
shortness of breath (SOB) and diarrhea were significantly more common in
the ICU group than in the Floor group. Conclusions: Early identification
of pediatric patients with severe COVID-19 is important to improve
outcomes. In our single center case control study, we found that the
presence of G symptoms on presentation was more commonly associated with
severe COVID-19 in children.