1Infection Control Department, Maternity and Children Hospital, Alhassa, Saudi Arabia 2Pediatrics Department, Maternity and Children Hospital, Alhassa, Saudi Arabia 3Emergency Department, AL-Jaffer Hospital Alhassa, Saudi Arabia 4Primary Health Care Center, Alhassa Cluster, Saudi Arabia 5Senior general surgery registrar, Ras Tanura Hospital 6Family physician Health cluster, Saudi Arabia
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised significant concerns about its impact on children's health worldwide, with limited studies focusing on pediatric cases in Saudi Arabia. This descriptive cross-sectional study examines the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric COVID-19 cases admitted to a tertiary pediatric hospital in AlAhsa from 2nd of March 2020, until 31st of December 2020. Additionally, the study identifies risk factors associated with pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions and mortality.
Method: This study included children with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to Maternity and Children Hospital in AlAhsa. Data on demographics, clinical presentations, comorbidities, and laboratory findings were collected and analyzed. Associations between these variables and outcomes such as PICU admission and mortality were assessed using IBM SPSS version 22.
Results: A total of 123 children with COVID-19 were included, with a mean age of 7.6 ± 4.9 years (range: 1 - 14 years). Males constituted 48.8% (n = 60) of cases, and 99.2% (n = 122) were Saudi nationals. Comorbidities were present in 32.2% (n = 37) of patients. Symptoms were reported in 84.6% (n = 104) of cases, with respiratory symptoms in 50.4% (n = 62) and gastrointestinal (GIT) symptoms in 45.5% (n = 56). Symptom duration ranged between 1-6 days in 61.5% (n = 64) and exceeded 15 days in 9.6% (n = 10). Fever was the most commonly reported symptom (61.8%). Additionally, 65% (n = 80) of patients tested positive for the G6PD assay. PICU admission occurred in 22.8% (n = 28) of cases. Children with GIT symptoms had a significantly higher PICU admission rate (37.5%) compared to those without GIT symptoms (10.4%, P = .001). Similarly, 75% of children with diabetes required PICU admission compared to 21.6% of others (P = .013). The overall mortality rate was 5.7% (n = 7). All mortalities occurred among PICU-admitted children, indicating a significant association between PICU admission and mortality.
Conclusion: Most pediatric COVID-19 cases presented with mild symptoms, with respiratory and gastrointestinal manifestations being the most common. Comorbidities, such as diabetes, significantly increased the likelihood of PICU admission. PICU admission emerged as a critical risk factor for mortality. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between comorbidities, disease severity, and mortality to enhance outcomes in pediatric COVID-19 cases.
Keywords: COVID-19; Pneumonia; Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Pandemic; Corona Virus
Fadi Nabih Busaleh., et al. "Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Pediatric COVID-19: A Tertiary Care Study in AlAhsa, Saudi Arabia". EC Paediatrics 13.12 (2024): 01-11.
© 2024 Fadi Nabih Busaleh This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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