TY - JOUR
T1 - Gastrointestinal Manifestations Are Associated with Severe COVID-19 in Children
AU - Akkoyun, Esra Betul
AU - Ashraf, Bilal
AU - Hanners, Natasha
AU - Kahn, Jeffrey
AU - Most, Zachary
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2024/1
Y1 - 2024/1
N2 - Purpose: Although less severe than in adults, children can experience a range of COVID-19 symptoms, from asymptomatic to life-threatening, including respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. Medical conditions may also increase the severity of the disease in infected children. Methods: This study was performed at a single center, comparing cases and controls, and involving 253 pediatric patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Two different outcomes were assessed. The first categorized symptomatic individuals who were hospitalized with COVID-19 (hospital) from those who were not (nonhospital). The second categorized admitted individuals who spent at least one day in the intensive care unit (ICU) from those who did not require intensive care (floor). Results: Ninety individuals (36%) had at least one underlying medical condition, the most common being pulmonary disorders, such as asthma (12%), followed by neurodevelopmental disorders (8%), gastrointestinal disorders (6%), and seizure disorders (6%). The hospital group was more likely to have a comorbidity, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), diabetes mellitus, seizure disorder, hypertension, sickle cell disease, neurodevelopmental disorder, and immunocompromising conditions, including cancer, bone marrow transplant, and other immunodeficiencies, compared to the non-hospital group. Abdominal pain was more common in the hospital group. Shortness of breath (SOB) and diarrhea were significantly more common in the ICU group than in the floor group. Conclusions: Early identification of pediatric patients with severe COVID-19 is important to improve outcomes. In our single-center case–control study, we found that the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms on presentation was more commonly associated with severe COVID-19 in children.
AB - Purpose: Although less severe than in adults, children can experience a range of COVID-19 symptoms, from asymptomatic to life-threatening, including respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. Medical conditions may also increase the severity of the disease in infected children. Methods: This study was performed at a single center, comparing cases and controls, and involving 253 pediatric patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Two different outcomes were assessed. The first categorized symptomatic individuals who were hospitalized with COVID-19 (hospital) from those who were not (nonhospital). The second categorized admitted individuals who spent at least one day in the intensive care unit (ICU) from those who did not require intensive care (floor). Results: Ninety individuals (36%) had at least one underlying medical condition, the most common being pulmonary disorders, such as asthma (12%), followed by neurodevelopmental disorders (8%), gastrointestinal disorders (6%), and seizure disorders (6%). The hospital group was more likely to have a comorbidity, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), diabetes mellitus, seizure disorder, hypertension, sickle cell disease, neurodevelopmental disorder, and immunocompromising conditions, including cancer, bone marrow transplant, and other immunodeficiencies, compared to the non-hospital group. Abdominal pain was more common in the hospital group. Shortness of breath (SOB) and diarrhea were significantly more common in the ICU group than in the floor group. Conclusions: Early identification of pediatric patients with severe COVID-19 is important to improve outcomes. In our single-center case–control study, we found that the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms on presentation was more commonly associated with severe COVID-19 in children.
KW - COVID-19
KW - children
KW - gastrointestinal symptoms
KW - severe
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85181915718&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/healthcare12010081
DO - 10.3390/healthcare12010081
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85181915718
SN - 2227-9032
VL - 12
JO - Healthcare (Switzerland)
JF - Healthcare (Switzerland)
IS - 1
M1 - 81
ER -