Children and adolescents account for ~ 13% of total COVID-19 cases in the United States. However, little is known about the nature of the illness in children. The reopening of schools underlines the importance of understanding the epidemiology of pediatric COVID-19 infections. We sought to assess the clinical characteristics and outcomes in pediatric COVID-19 patients. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from healthcare organizations in the United States. The study outcomes (hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, critical care) were assessed using logistic regression. The subgroups of sex and race were compared after propensity score matching. Among 12,306 children with lab-confirmed COVID-19, 16.5% presented with respiratory symptoms (cough, dyspnea), 13.9% had gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain), 8.1% had dermatological symptoms (rash), 4.8% had neurological (headache), and 18.8% had other non-specific symptoms (fever, malaise, myalgia, arthralgia and disturbances of smell or taste). In the study cohort, the hospitalization frequency was 5.3%, with 17.6% needing critical care services and 4.1% requiring mechanical ventilation. Following propensity score matching, the risk of all outcomes was similar between males and females. Following propensity score matching, the risk of hospitalization was greater in non-Hispanic Black (RR 1.97 [95% CI 1.49–2.61]) and Hispanic children (RR 1.31 [95% CI 1.03–1.78]) compared with non-Hispanic Whites. In the pediatric population infected with COVID-19, a substantial proportion were hospitalized due to the illness and developed adverse clinical outcomes.
【저자키워드】 Risk factors, Health care, Diseases, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Critical care, Hospitalized, mechanical ventilation, Hospitalization, Clinical characteristics, Epidemiology, pediatric, children, Sex, risk, Symptom, outcome, cough, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, clinical outcomes, organization, healthcare, Fever, Dyspnea, male, Logistic regression, School, Rash, non-specific, COVID-19 patients, Hispanic, retrospective, Frequency, propensity score matching, neurological, myalgia, subgroup, black, Pediatric patient, COVID-19 case, COVID-19 infections, cross-sectional analysis, nausea, respiratory symptom, malaise, arthralgia, vomiting, study cohort, Gastrointestinal symptom, The United States, females, greater, proportion, conducted, diagnosed with COVID-19, infected with COVID-19, study outcome, were assessed, 【제목키워드】 pediatric, COVID-19 patient, retrospective cohort study, the United State,