differences of clinical and supporting examinations in pediatric patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19

Since most children's COVID-19 symptoms are asymptomatic, it might be challenging to diagnose severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study aims to determine the differences in clinical features and supporting examinations of pediatric patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19. A retrospective study was conducted using medical records from 120 eligible children with suspected COVID-19 from March to May 2022 in Surabaya. Incomplete medical records are excluded from the study. We divided them into two groups each 60 children with negative and positive SARS CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. The Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square tet were used for the analysis. Male children are more dominant than females (59.2% and 40.8%). The mean age of the children with negative SARS CoV-2 PCR results was 63.98 ± 59.508 months and the positive was 85.38 ± 69.071 months. There are no significant differences in laboratory examination. Only clinical symptoms of myalgia and bilateral diffuse radiological examinations were found to have a significant different in children with suspected and confirmed COVID-19. In conclusion, multiplying the SARS CoV-2 nasopharyngeal PCR swab test in patients with suspected COVID-19 accompanied by atypical symptoms were recommmended prevent poorer outcomes.