COVID-19 in pediatric patients: Data from a training and research hospital COVID-19 in children

Aim: Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a worldwide emergency. It is known that the course of the disease in pediatric COVID-19 is milder, with a better prognosis and lower rate of deaths. However, epidemiological and clinical data on children with COVID-19 are still scarce. The aim of this study is to describe the demographic, clinical and laboratory findings of children with COVID-19. Material and Methods: Medical records of patients aged under 18 years who had polyrnerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 between March 15, 2020 and September 14, 2020 were examined retrospectively. Results: Of the 108 children infected with SARS-CoV-2, 52 (48.1%) were female, 56 (51.9%) were male, and the median age was 9 years (0-17 years). The most common presentation symptoms included fever (54.6%), fatigue or myalgia (32.4%). and cough (30.5%). Of all patients. 63.9% (n-53) had lymphopenia. Seventy (67.3%) cases with COVID-19 had a contact history. The median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 1 (0-8) day. Posteroanterior chest X-ray was ordered in 80.5% (n-87) of the SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive patients, and only 5.7% (n-5) had findings in favor of infiltration. Chest computed tomography was ordered in four (3.7%) children, and one (25%) of them had findings consistent with COVID-19. Eight patients were hospitalized, one of whom was followed-up in the intensive care unit, and no patients died. Discussion: A better understanding of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 infection in children is very important in developing influential strategies to manage the disease.