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COVID-19 disease in children and adolescents following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A report from the Turkish Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Study Group
  • +51
  • CEYHUN BOZKURT,
  • Volkan Hazar,
  • Baris Malbora,
  • Alphan Küpesiz,
  • Utku Aygüneş,
  • Tunc Fısgın,
  • Musa Karakükçü,
  • Baris Kuskonmaz,
  • Suar Çakı Kilic,
  • Derya Bayırlı,
  • Özlem Arman Bilir,
  • Koray Yalcin,
  • Salih Gözmen,
  • Vedat Uygun,
  • Murat Elli,
  • Hakan Sarbay,
  • Funda Küpesiz,
  • Hatice İlgen Şaşmaz,
  • Basak Aksoy,
  • Ebru Yılmaz,
  • Fatma Okur,
  • Funda Tekkeşin,
  • Fatma Demir Yenigürbüz,
  • Gülcihan Ozek,
  • Avni Atay,
  • İkbal Ok Bozkaya,
  • Suna Çelen,
  • Seda Ozturkmen,
  • Adalet Gunes,
  • Orhan Gursel,
  • Elif Guler,
  • Alper Özcan,
  • Duygu Uçkan,
  • Selime Aydogdu,
  • Namık Yaşar Özbek,
  • Gulsun Karasu,
  • Gulay Sezgin,
  • Omer Dogru,
  • Davut Albayrak,
  • Gülyüz Öztürk,
  • Serap Aksoylar ,
  • Hayriye Daloglu,
  • Işık Odaman Al,
  • Melike Sezgin Evim,
  • Sinan Akbayram,
  • Yurday Öncül,
  • Emine Zengin,
  • Canan Albayrak,
  • Timur Cetin,
  • Yeter Düzenli Kar,
  • Hasan Fatih Çakmaklı,
  • Özlem Tüfekçi,
  • Ersin Toret,
  • Bulent Antmen
CEYHUN BOZKURT
Istinye University School of Medicine
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Volkan Hazar
Memorial Health Group

Corresponding Author:volkanhazar62@gmail.com

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Baris Malbora
Yeni Yüzyıl University School of Medicine
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Alphan Küpesiz
Akdeniz University School of Medicine
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Utku Aygüneş
Acibadem Saglik Grubu
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Tunc Fısgın
Altınbaş University School of Medicine
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Musa Karakükçü
Erciyes University School of Medicine
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Baris Kuskonmaz
Hacettepe University School of Medicine
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Suar Çakı Kilic
Umraniye Egitim Ve Arastirma Hastanesi
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Derya Bayırlı
Yeni Yüzyıl University School of Medicine
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Özlem Arman Bilir
Ankara Sehir Hastanesi
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Koray Yalcin
Medical Park Hospitals Group
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Salih Gözmen
SBU Dr Behcet Uz Cocuk Hastaliklari Ve Cerrahisi Egitim Ve Arastirma Hastanesi
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Vedat Uygun
Medical Park Hospitals Group
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Murat Elli
Medipol University School of Medicine
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Hakan Sarbay
Yeni Yüzyıl University School of Medicine
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Funda Küpesiz
Akdeniz University School of Medicine
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Hatice İlgen Şaşmaz
Acibadem Saglik Grubu
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Basak Aksoy
Altınbaş University School of Medicine
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Ebru Yılmaz
Erciyes University School of Medicine
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Fatma Okur
Hacettepe University School of Medicine
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Funda Tekkeşin
Umraniye Egitim Ve Arastirma Hastanesi
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Fatma Demir Yenigürbüz
Acibadem Saglik Grubu
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Gülcihan Ozek
Ege University School of Medicine
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Avni Atay
Yeni Yüzyıl University School of Medicine
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İkbal Ok Bozkaya
Ankara Sehir Hastanesi
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Suna Çelen
Medical Park Hospitals Group
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Seda Ozturkmen
Medical Park Hospitals Group
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Adalet Gunes
Uludağ University School of Medicine
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Orhan Gursel
Ankara Gulhane Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi
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Elif Guler
Akdeniz University School of Medicine
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Alper Özcan
Erciyes University School of Medicine
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Duygu Uçkan
Hacettepe University School of Medicine
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Selime Aydogdu
Umraniye Egitim Ve Arastirma Hastanesi
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Namık Yaşar Özbek
Ankara Sehir Hastanesi
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Gulsun Karasu
Medical Park Hospitals Group
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Gulay Sezgin
Çukurova University School of Medicine
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Omer Dogru
Marmara University School of Medicine
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Davut Albayrak
Medical Park Hospitals Group
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Gülyüz Öztürk
Acibadem Saglik Grubu
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Serap Aksoylar
Ege University School of Medicine
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Hayriye Daloglu
Medical Park Hospitals Group
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Işık Odaman Al
Medipol University School of Medicine
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Melike Sezgin Evim
Uludağ University School of Medicine
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Sinan Akbayram
Gaziantep University School of Medicine
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Yurday Öncül
Inönü University School of Medicine
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Emine Zengin
Kocaeli University School of Medicine
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Canan Albayrak
Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine
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Timur Cetin
Yeditepe University Hospital
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Yeter Düzenli Kar
Afyon Health Sciences University School of Medicine
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Hasan Fatih Çakmaklı
Ankara University School of Medicine
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Özlem Tüfekçi
Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine
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Ersin Toret
Osmangazi University School of Medicine
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Bulent Antmen
Acibadem Saglik Grubu
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Abstract

Background: Data on the outcome and risk factors of pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are limited. Objectives: We aimed to describe risk factors for a severe course and mortality. Method: In this nationwide study, data were collected retrospectively from 28 transplant centers. Results: One hundred ninety-six children [(63.8% male; median age 8.75 (IQR, 4.86-14.30)] who received allogeneic (n: 184, 93.9%) or autologous (n: 12, 6.1%) HSCT were included. The median time from HSCT to SARS-CoV-2 infection was 207.5 days (IQR, 110.2-207.5). The most common clinical manifestation was fever (58.2%), followed by cough (33.7%); 43 cases (21.9%) were asymptomatic. Lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) developed in 58 (29.6%) and 8 (4.1%) patients, respectively. Twenty-six patients (13.3%) required ICU admission. Nine patients died at a median of 17 days (min-max 1-33) after COVID-19 diagnosis, 6 of whom died due to the disease, with a COVID-19 lethality rate of 3.1%. The 6-week overall survival was 95.4% (95% CI 92.5-98.3). Multivariate analysis found that HSCT with a mismatched donor (OR, 8.98, p: 0.039) and LRTD (OR, 61.55, p: 0.001) were independent risk factors for ICU admission; MIS-C (OR, 9.55, p: 0.044) and lymphopenia (OR, 4.01, p: 0.030) at diagnosis were risk factors for mortality. Conclusion: Overall mortality was lower in children than in adult counterparts, and HSCT with a mismatched donor, lymphopenia, LRTD, MIS-C and ICU admission were important risk factors for adverse outcomes.