Clinical characteristics and outcomes of children with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia |
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| Authors: | Abeer A Alnajjar Ahmed M Dohain Gaser A Abdelmohsen Turki S Alahmadi Zaher F Zaher Abobakr A Abdelgalil |
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| Institution: | From the Department of Pediatrics (Alnajjar, Dohain, Abdelmohsen, Alahmadi, Zaher, Abdelgalil), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and from the Department of Pediatrics (Dohain, Abdelmohsen, Abdelgalil), Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. |
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| Abstract: | Objectives:To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics, underlying comorbidities, and outcomes of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.Methods:In this retrospective study, we reported 62 pediatric patients (age <14 years) with confirmed COVID-19 between March 2 and July 1, 2020, at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Results:Comorbid conditions, including cardiac, neurological, respiratory, and malignant disorders, were reported in 9 patients (14.5%). The most prominent presenting complaints were fever (80.6%) and cough (48.4%). Most of our patients (80.6%) had mild disease, 11.3% had moderate disease, and 8.1% exhibited severe and critical illness. Twenty-one patients (33.9%) were hospitalized, with 4 patients (6.5%) admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, and 3 (4.8%) patients died.Conclusion:All pediatric age groups are susceptible to COVID-19, with no gender difference. COVID-19 infection may result in critical illness and even mortality in subsets of pediatric patients. |
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| Keywords: | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 clinical characteristics children comorbidities |
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