1. Characteristics and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 among children in Italy: a cross-sectional study in 20 pediatric centers
- Author
-
Antonio Gatto, Roberto Dall'Amico, Roberta Parrino, Azzurra Orlandi, Stefano Martelossi, Federico Marchetti, Marco Binotti, Giovanna Villa, Enrico Felici, Sandra Trapani, Egidio Barbi, Annamaria Magista, Alessia Testa, Saretta F, Giuseppina Perricone, Idanna Sforzi, Ilaria Mariani, Fabio Cardinale, Benedetta Armocida, Danica Dragovic, Francesca Vaienti, Antonella Di Stefano, Moressa, Luca Bertacca, Elisabetta Miorin, Chiara Pilotto, Marzia Lazzerini, Paola Pascolo, Margherita Mauro, Enrico Valletta, Ilaria Liguoro, Silvia Fasoli, Mariasole Conte, Davide Silvagni, Jessica Tibaldi, Paola Berlese, Claudia Gioè, Antonio Chiaretti, Sara Lega, Gian Luca Trobia, Paolo Biban, and Riccardo Lubrano
- Subjects
Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,education.field_of_study ,Multivariate analysis ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Cross-sectional study ,business.industry ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Population ,Anosmia ,Disease ,Ageusia ,medicine ,medicine.symptom ,education ,business - Abstract
BackgroundNo study has described factors associated with COVID-19 diagnosis in children.AimDescribe characteristics and risk factors for COVID-19 diagnosis in children tested in 20 pediatric centers across Italy.MethodsCases aged 0-18 years tested for SARS-CoV-2 between February 23 and May 24 2020 were included. Our primary analysis focused on children tested because of COVID-19 suggestive symptoms.ResultsAmong 2494 children tested for SARS-CoV-2, 2148 (86.1%) had symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. Clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 included - beside fever (82.4%) and respiratory signs or symptoms (60.4%) – also gastrointestinal (18.2%), neurological (18.9%), cutaneous (3.8%) and other flu-like presentations (17.8%). In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 were: exposure history (adjusted OR 39.83 95%CI 17.52-90.55 pConclusionRecommendations for SARS-CoV-2 testing in children should be updated based on the evidence of broader clinical features. Exposure history, fever, and anosmia/ageusia are strong risk factors for COVID-19 in children, while other symptoms don’t seem helping discriminating in between the SARS-CoV-2 positive and the negative cases. This study confirm that COVID-19 is a mild disease in the general population of children in Italy. Further studies are needed to understand the risk, clinical spectrum and outcomes of COVID-19 in children with specific preexisting conditions.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF