- In pediatric patients, fever and dry cough were the most common symptoms. Less frequent symptoms included diarrhea, nasal congestion, dyspnea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Most children had mild symptoms.
- The highest incidence of COVID-19 was found in children of less than three years old. Moreover, the two children who developed severe illness were in this age range. This could possibly be related to the fact that children this age are dependent on their relatives, which increases the amount of physical contacts and possible exposures to the virus.
- The two children who developed severe illness had signs of potential bacterial co-infection, which could have amplified the symptomatology
This is a cross-sectional retrospective multicenter study carried in ten hospitals of Hubei, China. It included children between the age of one month to fourteen years old. Twenty-five children met the criteria of the study. The diagnosis was confirmed with a positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Trained physicians used electronic medical records to collect data of the current and prior medical history of each patient.
Source :
Zheng, F., Liao, C., Fan, Q. H.et al. (March 24, 2020). Clinical Characteristics of Children with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Hubei, China. Current medical science, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-020-2172-6