Publication Date

9-1-2022

Journal

Hospital Pediatrics

DOI

10.1542/hpeds.2022-006613

PMID

35670605

PMCID

PMC9773098

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-1-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

COVID-19, Child, Coinfection, Cross-Sectional Studies, Hospitalization, Humans, Infant, Obesity, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections, SARS-CoV-2, United States

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related pediatric hospitalizations during a period of B.1.617.2 (Δ) variant predominance and to determine age-specific factors associated with severe illness.

METHODS: We abstracted data from medical charts to conduct a cross-sectional study of patients agedchildren's hospitals from July to August 2021 for COVID-19 or with an incidental positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 test. Among patients with COVID-19, we assessed factors associated with severe illness by calculating age-stratified prevalence ratios (PR). We defined severe illness as receiving high-flow nasal cannula, positive airway pressure, or invasive mechanical ventilation.

RESULTS: Of 947 hospitalized patients, 759 (80.1%) had COVID-19, of whom 287 (37.8%) had severe illness. Factors associated with severe illness included coinfection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (PR 3.64) and bacteria (PR 1.88) in infants; RSV coinfection in patients aged 1 to 4 years (PR 1.96); and obesity in patients aged 5 to 11 (PR 2.20) and 12 to 17 years (PR 2.48). Having ≥2 underlying medical conditions was associated with severe illness in patients aged <1 >(PR 1.82), 5 to 11 (PR 3.72), and 12 to 17 years (PR 3.19).

CONCLUSIONS: Among patients hospitalized for COVID-19, factors associated with severe illness included RSV coinfection in those aged <5 >years, obesity in those aged 5 to 17 years, and other underlying conditions for all age groupspractice, risk communication, and prevention strategies, including vaccination against COVID-19.

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.