Background The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) brings new challenges for pediatricians, especially in the differentiation with non-COVID-19 pneumonia in the peak season of pneumonia. We aimed to compare the clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with COVID-19 and other respiratory pathogens infected pneumonias. Methods We conducted a multi-center, cross-sectional study of pediatric inpatients in China. Based on pathogenic test results, pediatric patients were divided into three groups, including COVID-19 pneumonia group, Non-COVID-19 viral (NCV) pneumonia group and Non-viral (NV) pneumonia group. Their clinical characteristics were compared by Kruskal-Wallis H test or chi-square test. Results A total of 636 pediatric pneumonia inpatients, among which 87 in COVID-19 group, 194 in NCV group, and 355 in NV group, were included in analysis. Compared with NCV and NV patients, COVID-19 patients were older (median age 6.33, IQR 2.00-12.00 years), and relatively fewer COVID-19 patients presented fever (63.2%), cough (60.9%), shortness of breath (1.1%), and abnormal pulmonary auscultation (18.4%). The results were verified by the comparison of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A (IFA) pneumonia patients. Approximately 42.5%, 44.8%, and 12.6% of the COVID-19 patients presented simply ground-glass opacity (GGO), simply consolidation, and the both changes on computed tomography (CT) scans, respectively; the proportions were similar as those in NCV and NV group (p>0.05). Only 47.1% of COVID-19 patients had both lungs pneumonia, which was significantly lower than that proportion of nearly 80% in the other two groups. COVID-19 patients presented lower proportions of increased white blood cell count (16.5%) and abnormal procalcitonin (PCT) (10.7%), and a higher proportion of decreased lymphocyte count (44.0%) compared with the other two groups. Conclusion Majority clinical characteristics of pediatric COVID-19 pneumonia patients were milder than non-COVID-19 patients. However, lymphocytopenia remained a prominent feature of COVID-19 pediatric pneumonia.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19 pneumonia, Clinical characteristics, Viral pneumonia, Pediatric patients, non-viral pneumonia, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, pandemic, Pneumonia, cross-sectional, pediatric, lung, procalcitonin, cough, influenza A, China, Computed tomography, Lymphocyte count, ground-glass opacity, White blood cell, respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, lymphocytopenia, Fever, GGO, change, consolidation, patients, Analysis, COVID-19 patient, IFA, chi-square test, Inpatients, Shortness of breath, Inpatient, Non-COVID-19, Older, Pediatric patient, Non-COVID-19 patients, two groups, respiratory pathogen, median age, three groups, pathogenic, COVID-19 group, Kruskal-Wallis H test, significantly lower, PCT, Result, proportion, remained, conducted, COVID-19 pneumonia patient, IQR, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, clinical,