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Dun-Dery F, Xie J, Winston K, Burstein B, Emsley J, Sabhaney V, Gravel J, Zemek R, Kam A, Mater A, Beer D, Freire G, Poonai N, Berthelot S, Porter R, Moffatt A, Salvadori M, Dixon A, Freedman SB. No Association between SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Quality of Life 6- and 12-Months After Infection. Acad Pediatr 2024:S1876-2859(24)00273-0. [PMID: 39004300 DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-term quality of life (QoL). METHODS Prospective cohort study with 6- and 12-month follow-up conducted in 14 Canadian institutions. Children tested for SARS-CoV-2 between August 2020 and February 2022 were eligible. QoL was measured using PedsQLTM-4.0, overall health status scores 6- and 12-months after testing. RESULTS Among SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative participants eligible for long-term follow-up, 74.8% (505/675) and 71.8% (1106/1541) at 6- and 59.0% (727/1233) and 68.1% (2520/3699) at 12-months, completed follow-up, respectively. Mean ± SD PedsQL™ scores did not differ between positive and negative groups; difference: -0.86 (95%CI: -2.33, 0.61) at 6- and -0.48 (95%CI: -1.6, 0.64) at 12-months, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 test-positivity was associated with higher social subscale scores. Although in bivariate analysis, overall health status at 6-month was higher among SARS-CoV-2 cases [difference: 2.16 (95%CI: 0.80, 3.53)], after adjustment for co-variates, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not independently associated with total PedsQL™ or overall health status at either time point. Parental perception of recovery did not differ based on SARS-CoV-2 test-status at either time point. CONCLUSIONS SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with QoL, overall health status, or parental perception of recovery 6- and 12-months following infection. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION (IF ANY) N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick Dun-Dery
- Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jianling Xie
- Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kathleen Winston
- Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brett Burstein
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jason Emsley
- Department of Emergency Medicine, IWK Children's Health Centre and Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Vikram Sabhaney
- Departments of Paediatrics and Emergency Medicine, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Gravel
- Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Roger Zemek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - April Kam
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ahmed Mater
- Section of Pediatric Emergency, Department of Pediatrics, Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Darcy Beer
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, The Children's Hospital of Winnipeg, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Freire
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Naveen Poonai
- Department of Paediatrics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Internal Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Simon Berthelot
- Département de médecine de famille et de médecine d'urgence, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robert Porter
- Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre, NL Health Services, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Anne Moffatt
- Department of Paediatrics, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marina Salvadori
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrew Dixon
- Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Departments of Pediatric, Women's and Children's Health Research Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Stephen B Freedman
- Sections of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Gastroenterology, Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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Li J, Li J, Cao L, Wang L, Chen X, Niu W, Dang L, Dai S, Wang Y, Ge M, Liu W, Song Q, Xu W, Ma L. Clinical manifestations and long-term symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 omicron infection in children aged 0-17 years in Beijing: a single-center study. Front Pediatr 2024; 12:1332020. [PMID: 38813546 PMCID: PMC11133534 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1332020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective The study aims to analyze the clinical characteristics of acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children aged 0-17 years with the Omicron variant, and summarize the persistent symptoms or new-onset clinical manifestations from 4 to 12 weeks after acute COVID. Explore the association between the vaccination status and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody levels post infection among preschool-aged children. The comprehensive study systematically describes the clinical characteristics of children infected with SARS-CoV-2, providing a foundation for diagnosis and evaluating long-term COVID in pediatric populations. Methods The study enrolled children who were referred to the Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, (Beijing, China) from January 10, 2023 to March 31, 2023. Participants were classified as infant and toddlers, preschool, school-age, and adolescent groups. Children or their legal guardians completed survey questionnaires to provide information of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection history, as well as clinical presentation during the acute phase and long-term symptoms from 4 to 12 weeks following infection. Furthermore, serum samples were collected from children with confirmed history of SARS-CoV-2 infection for serological testing of neutralizing antibodies. Results The study recruited a total of 2,001 children aged 0-17 years who had previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 through nucleic acid or antigen testing. Fever emerged as the predominant clinical manifestation in 1,902 (95.1%) individuals with body temperature ranging from 37.3 to 40.0°C. Respiratory symptoms were identified as secondary clinical manifestations, with cough being the most common symptom in 777 (38.8%) children, followed by sore throat (22.1%), nasal congestion (17.8%), and runnning nose (17.2%). Fatigue (21.6%), headache (19.8%) and muscle-joint pain (13.5%) were frequently reported systemic symptoms in children. The proportion of children with symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection varied across age groups. 1,100 (55.0%) children experienced persistent symptoms from 4 to 12 weeks post the acute phase of infection. Trouble concentrating (22.1%), cough (22.1%), and fatigue (12.1%) were frequently reported across age groups in the extended period. A limited number of children exhibited cardiovascular symptoms with chest tightness, tachycardia, and chest pain reported by 3.5%, 2.5%, and 1.8% of children, respectively. Among 472 children aged 3-5 years, 208 children had received two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine at least 6 months prior to infection, and no association was found between the incidence of long-term COVID and pre-infection vaccination statuses among the 3-5 years age groups (χ2 = 1.136, P = 0.286). Conclusions In children aged 0-17 years infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, fever was the primary clinical manifestation in the acute phase, followed by respiratory symptoms, systemic non-specific and digestive presentations. In particular, respiratory and digestive system symptoms were more frequent in children aged above 6 years. Regarding the long-term symptoms from 4 to 12 weeks post-infection, the most common presentations were concentrating difficulty, cough, and fatigue. The incidence of persistent symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 did not exhibit a significant correlation with vaccination status, which was attributed to the waning efficacy of the vaccine-induced humoral immune response after 6 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Cao
- Department of Respiratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Child Health Care, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaobo Chen
- Department of Endocrinology, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Wenquan Niu
- Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Li Dang
- Department of Outpatient Treatment Center, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Shuzhi Dai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Menglei Ge
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Weijie Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Qinwei Song
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjian Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Lijuan Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
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Tang L, Guo Y, Shu C, Peng X, Qiu S, Li R, Liu P, Wei H, Liao S, Du Y, Guo D, Gao N, Zeng QL, Liu X, Ji F. Neurological manifestations and risk factors associated with poor prognosis in hospitalized children with Omicron variant infection. Eur J Pediatr 2024; 183:2353-2363. [PMID: 38429545 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-024-05495-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
There are increasing reports of neurological manifestation in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the frequency and clinical outcomes of in hospitalized children infected with the Omicron variant are unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics, neurological manifestations, and risk factor associated with poor prognosis of hospitalized children suffering from COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant. Participants included children older than 28 days and younger than 18 years. Patients were recruited from December 10, 2022 through January 5, 2023. They were followed up for 30 days. A total of 509 pediatric patients hospitalized with the Omicron variant infection were recruited into the study. Among them, 167 (32.81%) patients had neurological manifestations. The most common manifestations were febrile convulsions (n = 90, 53.89%), viral encephalitis (n = 34, 20.36%), epilepsy (n = 23, 13.77%), hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (n = 9, 5.39%), and acute necrotizing encephalopathy (n = 6, 3.59%). At discharge, 92.81% of patients had a good prognosis according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (scores ≥ 4). However, 7.19% had a poor prognosis. Eight patients died during the follow-up period with a cumulative 30-day mortality rate of 4.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-8.1). Multivariate analysis revealed that albumin (odds ratio 0.711, 95% CI 0.556-0.910) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) levels (odds ratio 1.033, 95% CI 1.004-1.063) were independent risk factors of poor prognosis due to neurological manifestations. The area under the curve for the prediction of poor prognosis with albumin and CK-MB was 0.915 (95%CI 0.799-1.000), indicating that these factors can accurately predict a poor prognosis. Conclusion: In this study, 32.8% of hospitalized children suffering from COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant infection experienced neurological manifestations. Baseline albumin and CK-MB levels could accurately predict poor prognosis in this patient population. What is Known: • Neurological injury has been reported in SARS-CoV-2 infection; compared with other strains, the Omicron strain is more likely to cause neurological manifestations in adults. • Neurologic injury in adults such as cerebral hemorrhage and epilepsy has been reported in patients with Omicron variant infection. What is New: • One-third hospitalized children with Omicron infection experience neurological manifestations, including central nervous system manifestations and peripheral nervous system manifestations. • Albumin and CK-MB combined can accurately predict poor prognosis (AUC 0.915), and the 30-day mortality rate of children with Omicron variant infection and neurological manifestations was 4.8%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Tang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yuxin Guo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Second Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University, No.157 Xi Wu Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chang Shu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaokang Peng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Sikai Qiu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Second Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University, No.157 Xi Wu Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ruina Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Pan Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Huijing Wei
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shan Liao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yali Du
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dandan Guo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ning Gao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Second Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University, No.157 Xi Wu Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qing-Lei Zeng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1, Eastern Jianshe Road, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
| | - Xiaoguai Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital, No. 69 Xi Ju Yuan Alley, Xi'an, 710003, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Fanpu Ji
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Second Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University, No.157 Xi Wu Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University) Ministry of Education of China, Xi'an, China.
- National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biodiagnosis and Biotherapy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
- Shaanxi Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Surgical Critical Care and Life Support (Xi'an Jiaotong University), Ministry of Education, Shaanxi, China.
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McMurry AJ, Zipursky AR, Geva A, Olson KL, Jones JR, Ignatov V, Miller TA, Mandl KD. Moving Biosurveillance Beyond Coded Data Using AI for Symptom Detection From Physician Notes: Retrospective Cohort Study. J Med Internet Res 2024; 26:e53367. [PMID: 38573752 PMCID: PMC11027052 DOI: 10.2196/53367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Real-time surveillance of emerging infectious diseases necessitates a dynamically evolving, computable case definition, which frequently incorporates symptom-related criteria. For symptom detection, both population health monitoring platforms and research initiatives primarily depend on structured data extracted from electronic health records. OBJECTIVE This study sought to validate and test an artificial intelligence (AI)-based natural language processing (NLP) pipeline for detecting COVID-19 symptoms from physician notes in pediatric patients. We specifically study patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) who can be sentinel cases in an outbreak. METHODS Subjects in this retrospective cohort study are patients who are 21 years of age and younger, who presented to a pediatric ED at a large academic children's hospital between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2022. The ED notes for all patients were processed with an NLP pipeline tuned to detect the mention of 11 COVID-19 symptoms based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. For a gold standard, 3 subject matter experts labeled 226 ED notes and had strong agreement (F1-score=0.986; positive predictive value [PPV]=0.972; and sensitivity=1.0). F1-score, PPV, and sensitivity were used to compare the performance of both NLP and the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) coding to the gold standard chart review. As a formative use case, variations in symptom patterns were measured across SARS-CoV-2 variant eras. RESULTS There were 85,678 ED encounters during the study period, including 4% (n=3420) with patients with COVID-19. NLP was more accurate at identifying encounters with patients that had any of the COVID-19 symptoms (F1-score=0.796) than ICD-10 codes (F1-score =0.451). NLP accuracy was higher for positive symptoms (sensitivity=0.930) than ICD-10 (sensitivity=0.300). However, ICD-10 accuracy was higher for negative symptoms (specificity=0.994) than NLP (specificity=0.917). Congestion or runny nose showed the highest accuracy difference (NLP: F1-score=0.828 and ICD-10: F1-score=0.042). For encounters with patients with COVID-19, prevalence estimates of each NLP symptom differed across variant eras. Patients with COVID-19 were more likely to have each NLP symptom detected than patients without this disease. Effect sizes (odds ratios) varied across pandemic eras. CONCLUSIONS This study establishes the value of AI-based NLP as a highly effective tool for real-time COVID-19 symptom detection in pediatric patients, outperforming traditional ICD-10 methods. It also reveals the evolving nature of symptom prevalence across different virus variants, underscoring the need for dynamic, technology-driven approaches in infectious disease surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J McMurry
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Amy R Zipursky
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alon Geva
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Anaesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Karen L Olson
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - James R Jones
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Vladimir Ignatov
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Timothy A Miller
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kenneth D Mandl
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Burstein B, Sabhaney V, Florin TA, Xie J, Kuppermann N, Freedman SB. Presentations and Outcomes Among Infants ≤90 Days With and Without SARS-CoV-2. Pediatrics 2024; 153:e2023064949. [PMID: 38516718 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-064949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To compare symptoms and outcomes among infants aged ≤90 days tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a broad, international sample of emergency departments (EDs). METHODS This was a secondary analysis of infants aged 0 to 90 days with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infections tested using molecular approaches and with 14-day follow-up. The parent studies were conducted at 41 EDs in 10 countries (the global Pediatric Emergency Research Network; March 2020-June 2021) and 14 EDs across Canada (Pediatric Emergency Research Canada network; August 2020-February 2022). Symptom profiles included presence and number of presenting symptoms. Clinical outcomes included hospitalization, ICU admission, and severe outcomes (a composite of intensive interventions, severe organ impairment, or death). RESULTS Among 1048 infants tested for SARS-CoV-2, 1007 (96.1%) were symptomatic at presentation and 432 (41.2%) were SARS-CoV-2-positive. A systemic symptom (any of the following: Apnea, drowsiness, irritability, or lethargy) was most common and present in 646 (61.6%) infants, regardless of SARS-CoV-2 status. Although fever and upper respiratory symptoms were more common among SARS-CoV-2-positive infants, dehydration, gastrointestinal, skin, and oral symptoms, and the overall number of presenting symptoms did not differ between groups. Infants with SARS-CoV-2 infections were less likely to be hospitalized (32.9% vs 44.8%; difference -11.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) -17.9% to -6.0%]), require intensive care (1.4% vs 5.0%; difference -3.6% [95% CI -5.7% to -1.6%]), and experience severe outcomes (1.4% vs 5.4%; difference -4.0% [95% CI -6.1% to -1.9%]). CONCLUSIONS SARS-CoV-2 infections may be difficult to differentiate from similar illnesses among the youngest infants but are generally milder. SARS-CoV-2 testing can help inform clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett Burstein
- Montreal Children's Hospital, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, and Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Vikram Sabhaney
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Todd A Florin
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jianling Xie
- Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
- Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Nathan Kuppermann
- Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California
| | - Stephen B Freedman
- Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
- Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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Wurm J, Uka A, Bernet V, Buettcher M, Giannoni E, Kottanattu L, Schöbi N, Zemmouri A, Ritz N, Zimmermann P. The changing clinical presentation of COVID-19 in children during the course of the pandemic. Acta Paediatr 2024; 113:771-777. [PMID: 38102898 DOI: 10.1111/apa.17061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
AIM To investigate the evolution of clinical symptoms of COVID-19 in children throughout the pandemic. METHODS In this national prospective surveillance study, symptoms in children hospitalised with COVID-19 were collected from all paediatric hospitals in Switzerland between March 2020 and March 2023. Data was analysed across four time periods, according to the predominantly circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant: T1 (wild-type), T2 (Alpha), T3 (Delta) and T4 (Omicron), as well as by age group. RESULTS The study included 1323 children. The proportion of children admitted to an intensive care unit remained stable throughout the pandemic. However, the pattern and frequency of clinical manifestations changed over time. Respiratory symptoms were less prevalent during T1 (wild-type), fever during T2 (Alpha) and rash during T4 (Omicron). In contrast, fever and neurological symptoms were more prevalent during T4 (Omicron). Newly described symptoms during T4 (Omicron) included conjunctivitis, laryngotracheitis and seizures. Fever was more prevalent among neonates and infants whereas respiratory symptoms were more common among infants. Gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent among toddlers, while both toddlers and school-aged children presented with neurological symptoms more often than other age groups. CONCLUSION Continuous surveillance is required to detect changes in manifestations and there by be prepared for the optimal management of complications in children with COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Wurm
- Department of Paediatrics, Fribourg Hospital, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department of Health Science and Medicine, University Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Anita Uka
- Department Women-Mother-Child, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vera Bernet
- Department of Neonatology, Hospital Zollikerberg, Zollikerberg, Switzerland
| | - Michael Buettcher
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Children's Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, University Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
- Paediatric Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics Research Center, University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eric Giannoni
- Clinic of Neonatology, Department Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Kottanattu
- Pediatric Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, EOC, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, USI, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Nina Schöbi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | | | - Nicole Ritz
- Department of Health Science and Medicine, University Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
- Mycobacterial and Migrant Health Research, University Children's Hospital Basel and Department for Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Petra Zimmermann
- Department of Paediatrics, Fribourg Hospital, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Community Health, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Sočan M, Mrzel M, Prosenc K, Korva M, Avšič-Županc T, Poljak M, Lunar MM, Zupanič T. Comparing COVID-19 severity in patients hospitalized for community-associated Delta, BA.1 and BA.4/5 variant infection. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1294261. [PMID: 38450129 PMCID: PMC10915065 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1294261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Despite decreasing COVID-19 disease severity during the Omicron waves, a proportion of patients still require hospitalization and intensive care. Objective To compare demographic characteristics, comorbidities, vaccination status, and previous infections in patients hospitalized for community-associated COVID-19 (CAC) in predominantly Delta, Omicron BA.1 and BA.4/5 SARS-CoV-2 waves. Methods Data were extracted from three national databases-the National COVID-19 Database, National Vaccination Registry and National Registry of Hospitalizations. Results Among the hospitalized CAC patients analyzed in this study, 5,512 were infected with Delta, 1,120 with Omicron BA.1, and 1,143 with the Omicron BA.4/5 variant. The age and sex structure changed from Delta to BA.4/5, with the proportion of women (9.5% increase), children and adolescents (10.4% increase), and octa- and nonagenarians increasing significantly (24.5% increase). Significantly more patients had comorbidities (measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index), 30.3% in Delta and 43% in BA.4/5 period. The need for non-invasive ventilatory support (NiVS), ICU admission, mechanical ventilation (MV), and in-hospital mortality (IHM) decreased from Delta to Omicron BA.4/5 period for 12.6, 13.5, 11.5, and 6.3%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed significantly lower odds for ICU admission (OR 0.68, CI 0.54-0.84, p < 0.001) and IHM (OR 0.74, CI 0.58-0.93, p = 0.011) during the Delta period in patients who had been fully vaccinated or boosted with a COVID-19 vaccine within the previous 6 months. In the BA.1 variant period, patients who had less than 6 months elapsed between the last vaccine dose and SARS-CoV-2 positivity had lower odds for MV (OR 0.38, CI 0.18-0.72, p = 0.005) and IHM (OR 0.56, CI 0.37- 0.83, p = 0.005), but not for NIVS or ICU admission. Conclusion The likelihood of developing severe CAC in hospitalized patients was higher in those with the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variant compared to BA.4/5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Sočan
- National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Mrzel
- National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Prosenc
- National Institute of Health, Environment and Food, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miša Korva
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tatjana Avšič-Županc
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mario Poljak
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja M. Lunar
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tina Zupanič
- National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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8
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Đurić-Petković D, Šuljagić V, Begović-Kuprešanin V, Rančić N, Nikolić V. Vaccine Effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 Infection during the Circulation of Alpha, Delta, or Omicron Variants: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Tertiary Hospital in Serbia. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:211. [PMID: 38400194 PMCID: PMC10893379 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12020211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted rapid vaccine development and deployment worldwide. Despite widespread vaccination efforts, understanding the effectiveness of vaccines in hospitalized patients remains a critical concern. This retrospective cohort study, conducted at a tertiary healthcare centre in Serbia, tracked patients hospitalized during different waves of COVID-19 variants-Alpha, Delta, and Omicron. Data collection included demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, and vaccination status. Among 3593 patients, those with prior exposure to COVID-19 cases or hospital treatment showed higher positivity rates. Symptom prevalence varied across waves, with coughs persisting. Patients without chronic diseases were more frequent among those testing negative. Vaccine effectiveness varied, with Sinopharm demonstrating a 45.6% effectiveness initially and Pfizer-BioNTech showing an effectiveness of up to 74.8% within 0-84 days after the second dose. Mixed-dose strategies, notably Sinopharm as a primary dose followed by a Pfizer-BioNTech booster, suggested increased protection. Despite substantial vaccination availability, a significant portion of hospitalized patients remained unvaccinated. This study underscores the dynamic nature of vaccine effectiveness and advocates for booster strategies to address evolving challenges in combating COVID-19, particularly in hospitalized patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vesna Šuljagić
- Department of Healthcare-Related Infection Control, Military Medical Academy, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Medical Faculty, Military Medical Academy, University of Defence, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.B.-K.); (N.R.)
| | - Vesna Begović-Kuprešanin
- Medical Faculty, Military Medical Academy, University of Defence, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.B.-K.); (N.R.)
- Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Military Medical Academy, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nemanja Rančić
- Medical Faculty, Military Medical Academy, University of Defence, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.B.-K.); (N.R.)
- Centre for Clinical Pharmacology, Military Medical Academy, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Vladimir Nikolić
- Institute of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
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9
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Hijano DR, Dennis SR, Hoffman JM, Tang L, Hayden RT, Gaur AH, Hakim H. Employee investigation and contact tracing program in a pediatric cancer hospital to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among the workforce, patients, and caregivers. Front Public Health 2024; 11:1304072. [PMID: 38259752 PMCID: PMC10801179 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1304072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Case investigations and contact tracing are essential disease control measures used by health departments. Early in the pandemic, they were seen as a key strategy to stop COVID-19 spread. The CDC urged rapid action to scale up and train a large workforce and collaborate across public and private agencies to halt COVID-19 transmission. Methods We developed a program for case investigation and contact tracing that followed CDC and local health guidelines, compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and tailored to the needs and resources of our institution. Program staff were trained and assessed for competency before joining the program. Results From March 2020 to May 2021, we performed 838 COVID-19 case investigations, which led to 136 contacts. Most employees reported a known SARS-CoV-2 exposure from the community (n = 435) or household (n = 343). Only seven (5.1%) employees were determined as more likely than not to have SARS-CoV-2 infection related to workplace exposure, and when so, lapses in following the masking recommendations were identified. Between June 2021-February 2022, our program adjusted to the demand of the different waves, particularly omicron, by significantly reducing the amount of data collected. No transmission from employees to patients or caregivers was observed during this period. Conclusion Prompt implementation of case investigation and contact tracing is possible, and it effectively reduces workplace exposures. This approach can be adapted to suit the specific needs and requirements of various healthcare settings, particularly those serving the most vulnerable patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego R. Hijano
- Departments of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Sandra R. Dennis
- Department of Human Resources, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - James M. Hoffman
- Department of Human Resources, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Li Tang
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Randall T. Hayden
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | | | - Aditya H. Gaur
- Departments of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Hana Hakim
- Office of Quality and Patient Safety, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, United States
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10
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Burstein B, Florin TA, Sabhaney V, Xie J, Freedman SB, Kuppermann N. Inflammatory Markers in Febrile Young Infants With and Without SARS-CoV-2 Infections. Pediatrics 2024; 153:e2023063857. [PMID: 38169008 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-063857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brett Burstein
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Health Centre
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Todd A Florin
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Vikram Sabhaney
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jianling Xie
- Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
| | - Stephen B Freedman
- Sections of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Gastroenterology, Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Nathan Kuppermann
- Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California
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11
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Bhavsar SM, Clouser KN, Connolly H, Gadhavi J, Kaur R, Lozy T, Naganathan S, Pierre M, Riollano Cruz M, Shah P, Siu A, Swenson C, Ballance C. Characteristics and Presentations of Hospitalized Children Due to 3 Predominate COVID-19 Variants Within a Health Care Network. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2024; 63:66-72. [PMID: 37872729 DOI: 10.1177/00099228231207314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Objective of this article is to describe differences in the demographic and clinical characteristics, severity of illness, and outcomes in pediatric patients with different SARS-CoV-2 variants. We conducted a retrospective study of pediatric patients admitted with COVID-19 during the 3 large waves of infection within a health network in New Jersey. We included demographic characteristics, clinical features, and outcomes and compared the data with respect to the different variants. Of 351 total patients included in this study, 74 were admitted during wave 1, 94 during wave 2, and 181 during wave 3. The median age of patients decreased from wave 1 (11.5 years) to wave 3 (3 years) (P = .0034). 87.7% of the patients were unvaccinated. The overall incidence of admissions due to pneumonia related to COVID-19 decreased in wave 3. COVID-19 bronchiolitis or croup admissions occurred mostly in wave 3. There was no significant difference in the number of patients requiring intensive care in any particular wave. Length of stay decreased across the waves (P < .0001). Treatments required did not vary between the waves except for a decrease in antibiotic use with each subsequent wave (P < .0001). The impact of COVID-19 on the pediatric population differs from the adult population, and the overall number of hospitalized children has mirrored the peak in cases observed during each infection wave. Our study illustrates the changes in clinical presentation and severity observed with the different coronavirus variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sejal M Bhavsar
- Department of Pediatrics, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
| | - Katharine N Clouser
- Department of Pediatrics, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
| | - Hailey Connolly
- Department of Pediatrics, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA
| | - Jasmine Gadhavi
- Department of Pediatrics, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
| | - Ranbir Kaur
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, JFK University Medical Center, Edison, NJ, USA
| | - Tara Lozy
- Department of Pediatrics, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA
- Center for Discovery & Innovation, Member of Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack, NJ, USA
| | - Srividya Naganathan
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, NJ, USA
| | - Margarette Pierre
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, JFK University Medical Center, Edison, NJ, USA
| | - Mariawy Riollano Cruz
- Department of Pediatrics, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, NJ, USA
| | - Pooja Shah
- Department of Pediatrics, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA
- Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Anita Siu
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, NJ, USA
- Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Carly Swenson
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
| | - Cathleen Ballance
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Edison, NJ, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, NJ, USA
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12
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Demirhan S, Goldman DL, Herold BC. Differences in the Clinical Manifestations and Host Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Children Compared to Adults. J Clin Med 2023; 13:128. [PMID: 38202135 PMCID: PMC10780117 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13010128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the medical field to rapidly identify and implement new approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The scientific community also needed to rapidly initiate basic, translational, clinical and epidemiological studies to understand the pathophysiology of this new family of viruses, which continues to evolve with the emergence of new genetic variants. One of the earliest clinical observations that provided a framework for the research was the finding that, in contrast to most other respiratory viruses, children developed less severe acute and post-acute disease compared to adults. Although the clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection changed with each new wave of the pandemic, which was dominated by evolving viral variants, the differences in severity between children and adults persisted. Comparative immunologic studies have shown that children mount a more vigorous local innate response characterized by the activation of interferon pathways and recruitment of innate cells to the mucosa, which may mitigate against the hyperinflammatory adaptive response and systemic cytokine release that likely contributed to more severe outcomes including acute respiratory distress syndrome in adults. In this review, the clinical manifestations and immunologic responses in children during the different waves of COVID-19 are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Betsy C. Herold
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, 1225 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (S.D.); (D.L.G.)
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13
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Dun-Dery F, Xie J, Winston K, Burstein B, Gravel J, Emsley J, Sabhaney V, Zemek R, Berthelot S, Beer D, Kam A, Freire G, Mater A, Porter R, Poonai N, Moffatt A, Dixon A, Salvadori MI, Freedman SB. Post-COVID-19 Condition in Children 6 and 12 Months After Infection. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2349613. [PMID: 38153737 PMCID: PMC10755606 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.49613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance There is a need to understand the long-term outcomes among children infected with SARS-CoV-2. Objective To quantify the prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) among children tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric emergency departments (EDs). Design, Setting, and Participants Multicenter, prospective cohort study at 14 Canadian tertiary pediatric EDs that are members of the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada network with 90-day, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up. Participants were children younger than 18 years who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection between August 2020 and February 2022. Data were analyzed from May to November 2023. Exposure The presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection at or within 14 days of the index ED visit. Main Outcomes and Measures Presence of symptoms and QoL reductions that meet the PCC definition. This includes any symptom with onset within 3 months of infection that is ongoing at the time of follow-up and affects everyday functioning. The outcome was quantified at 6 and 12 months following the index ED visit. Results Among the 5147 children at 6 months (1152 with SARS-CoV-2 positive tests and 3995 with negative tests) and 5563 children at 12 months (1192 with SARS-CoV-2 positive tests and 4371 with negative tests) who had sufficient data regarding the primary outcome to enable PCC classification, the median (IQR) age was 2.0 (0.9-5.0) years, and 2956 of 5563 (53.1%) were male. At 6-month follow-up, symptoms and QoL changes consistent with the PCC definition were present in 6 of 1152 children with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests (0.52%) and 4 of 3995 children with negative SARS-CoV-2 tests (0.10%; absolute risk difference, 0.42%; 95% CI, 0.02% to 0.94%). The PCC definition was met at 12 months by 8 of 1192 children with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests (0.67%) and 7 of 4371 children with negative SARS-CoV-2 tests (0.16%; absolute risk difference, 0.51%; 95% CI, 0.06 to 1.08%). At 12 months, the median (IQR) PedsQL Generic Core Scale scores were 98.4 (90.0-100) among children with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests and 98.8 (91.7-100) among children with negative SARS-CoV-2 tests (difference, -0.3; 95% CI, -1.5 to 0.8; P = .56). Among the 8 children with SARS-CoV-2 positive tests and PCC at 12-month follow-up, children reported respiratory (7 of 8 patients [88%]), systemic (3 of 8 patients [38%]), and neurologic (1 of 8 patients [13%]) symptoms. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of children tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Canadian pediatric EDs, although children infected with SARS-CoV-2 reported increased chronic symptoms, few of these children developed PCC, and overall QoL did not differ from children with negative SARS-CoV-2 tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick Dun-Dery
- Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jianling Xie
- Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kathleen Winston
- Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brett Burstein
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Gravel
- Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jason Emsley
- Department of Emergency Medicine, IWK Children's Health Centre and Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Vikram Sabhaney
- Departments of Paediatrics and Emergency Medicine, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Roger Zemek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Simon Berthelot
- Département de médecine de famille et de médecine d'urgence, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Darcy Beer
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, The Children's Hospital of Winnipeg, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - April Kam
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Freire
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ahmed Mater
- Section of Pediatric Emergency, Department of Pediatrics, Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Robert Porter
- Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Naveen Poonai
- Department of Paediatrics, Children's Hospital London Health Sciences Centre, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Internal Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne Moffatt
- Department of Paediatrics, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew Dixon
- Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Departments of Pediatric, Women's and Children's Health Research Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Marina I Salvadori
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Stephen B Freedman
- Sections of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Gastroenterology, Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Torabi SH, Riahi SM, Ebrahimzadeh A, Salmani F. Changes in symptoms and characteristics of COVID-19 patients across different variants: two years study using neural network analysis. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:838. [PMID: 38017395 PMCID: PMC10683353 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08813-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Considering the fact that COVID-19 has undergone various changes over time, its symptoms have also varied. The aim of this study is to describe and compare the changes in personal characteristics, symptoms, and underlying conditions of individuals infected with different strains of COVID-19. METHODS This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 46,747 patients who underwent PCR testing during a two-year period from February 22, 2020 to February 23, 2022, in South Khorasan province, Iran. Patient characteristics and symptoms were extracted based on self-report and the information system. The data were analyzed using logistic regression and artificial neural network approaches. The R software was used for analysis and a significance level of 0.05 was considered for the tests. RESULTS Among the 46,747 cases analyzed, 23,239 (49.7%) were male, and the mean age was 51.48 ± 21.41 years. There was a significant difference in symptoms among different variants of the disease (p < 0.001). The factors with a significant positive association were myalgia (OR: 2.04; 95% CI, 1.76 - 2.36), cough (OR: 1.93; 95% CI, 1.68-2.22), and taste or smell disorder (OR: 2.62; 95% CI, 2.1 - 3.28). Additionally, aging was found to increase the likelihood of testing positive across the six periods. CONCLUSION We found that older age, myalgia, cough and taste/smell disorder are better factors compared to dyspnea or high body temperature, for identifying a COVID-19 patient. As the disease evolved, chills and diarrhea, demonstrated prognostic strength as in Omicron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Hossein Torabi
- School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, South Khorasan Province, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Riahi
- Epidemiology Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine Cardiovascular Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, South Khorasan Province, Iran
| | - Azadeh Ebrahimzadeh
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine Infectious Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, South Khorasan Province, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Salmani
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, South Khorasan Province, Iran.
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15
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Esposito S, Deolmi M, Ramundo G, Puntoni M, Caminiti C, Principi N. True prevalence of long COVID in children: a narrative review. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1225952. [PMID: 37789860 PMCID: PMC10543413 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1225952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Contrary to what is true for adults, little is known about pediatric long COVID (LC). Studies enrolling children are relatively few and extremely heterogeneous. This does not allow to draw definitive conclusions on the frequency and pathogenesis of pediatric LC and limits the development of appropriate and effective measures to contain the clinical, social and economic impact of this condition on the pediatric population. Depending on the methods used to collect and analyze data, studies have found that the incidence rate of pediatric LC may vary from about 25% to less than 5%. However, despite true prevalence of pediatric LC cannot be exactly defined, studies comparing children with previous COVID-19 and uninfected controls have shown that most of the clinical manifestations detected in infected children, mainly mood symptoms, mental health disorders and heart abnormalities could be diagnosed with similar frequency and severity in uninfected subjects also. This seems to indicate that SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of pediatric LC only in a part of children and other factors play a relevant role in this regard. Pandemic itself with the persistent disruption of child lives may have caused persistent stress in all the pediatric population causing mood symptoms, mental health disorders or several organ and body system functional alterations, regardless SARS-CoV-2 infection. These suppositions suggest the need for long-term physical control of all the children after COVID-19 especially when they were already suffering from an underlying disease or have had a severe disease. Moreover, attention should be paid to the assessment of change in children's emotional and behavioral functioning in order to assure adequate interventions for the best emotional and behavioral well being. However, whatever its origin, it seems highly likely that the prevalence of the pediatric LC is set to decline in the future. Preliminary observations seem to suggest that recently developed SARS-CoV-2 variants are associated with less severe COVID-19. This suggests that, as already seen in adults, a lower number of pediatric virus-associated LC cases should occur. Furthermore, the use of COVID-19 vaccines, reducing incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, may reduce risk of LC development. Finally, elimination of restrictive measures should significantly reduce mood symptoms and mental health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Esposito
- Pediatric Clinic, Pietro Barilla Children’s Hospital, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Michela Deolmi
- Pediatric Clinic, Pietro Barilla Children’s Hospital, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Greta Ramundo
- Pediatric Clinic, Pietro Barilla Children’s Hospital, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Matteo Puntoni
- Clinical and Epidemiological Research Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Caterina Caminiti
- Clinical and Epidemiological Research Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
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Su L, Chen S, Chen H, Fang Y, Peng W, Zhou X, Luo J, Liang X, Zhang K, Wang Z. Associations between COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Self-Reported SARS-CoV-2 Infection among 8538 Children Aged 3-17 Years during a Massive COVID-19 Outbreak after China Changed Its Zero-COVID-19 Policy: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1401. [PMID: 37766079 PMCID: PMC10535453 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11091401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the associations between COVID-19 vaccination status and self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and adolescents aged 3-17 years during a massive COVID-19 outbreak after China changed its zero COVID policy. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between 1 and 9 March 2023. Participants were the parents of children studying in kindergartens, primary schools, or secondary schools in Shenzhen. Convenient sampling was used. All kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools in the Longhua District of Shenzhen invited the parents of children and adolescents attending the schools. Interested parents completed an online survey. Multivariate logistic regression was fitted. Among 8538 participants, 40.9% self-reported that their children had SARS-CoV-2 infection after 7 December 2022, where 92.9% of them received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, and 74.6% received their second dose for more than six months. In multivariate analysis, children who received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination for no more than three months had a lower SARS-CoV-2 infection rate compared to unvaccinated children (<1 month: AOR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.44; 1-3 months: AOR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.75). The duration of protection conferred by the primary COVID-19 vaccination series was relatively short among children. A booster dose should be considered for children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixian Su
- Department of Child Healthcare, Shenzhen Futian District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen 518016, China
| | - Siyu Chen
- Centre for Health Behaviours Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hongbiao Chen
- Longhua District Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518109, China
| | - Yuan Fang
- Department of Health and Physical Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Weijun Peng
- Longhua District Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518109, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhou
- Longhua District Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518109, China
| | - Jingwei Luo
- Longhua District Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518109, China
| | - Xue Liang
- Centre for Health Behaviours Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kechun Zhang
- Longhua District Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518109, China
| | - Zixin Wang
- Centre for Health Behaviours Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Saleh T, Fuller T, Cambou MC, Segura ER, Kamau E, Yang S, Garner OB, Nielsen-Saines K. Epidemiology and SARS-CoV-2 Infection Patterns among Youth Followed at a Large Los Angeles Health Network during 2020-2022: Clinical Presentation, Prevalent Strains, and Correlates of Disease Severity. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1024. [PMID: 37376413 PMCID: PMC10300956 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11061024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Outcomes of SARS CoV-2 infection in infants, children and young adults are reported less frequently than in older populations. The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 cases in LA County youths followed at a large health network in southern California over two years was evaluated. METHODS A prospective cohort study of patients aged 0-24 years diagnosed with COVID-19 was conducted. Demographics, age distribution, disease severity, circulating variants of concern (VOCs), and immunization rates were compared between first and second pandemic years. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of factors associated with severe/critical COVID-19. RESULTS In total, 61,208 patients 0-24 years of age were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); 5263 positive patients (8.6%) with available data were identified between March 2020 and March 2022. In Year 1, 5.8% (1622/28,088) of youths tested positive, compared to 11% (3641/33,120) in Year 2 (p < 0.001). Most youths had mild/asymptomatic illness over two years. SARS-CoV-2 positivity was >12% across all age groups in the second half of Year 2, when Omicron prevailed. Pulmonary disease was associated with higher risk of severe COVID-19 in both years (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.4-4.3, p = 0.002, Year 1; OR: 11.3, 95% CI: 4.3-29.6, Year 2, p < 0.001). Receipt of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose was protective against severe COVID-19 (OR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.11-0.80, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Despite different VOCs and higher rates of test positivity in Year 2 compared to Year 1, most youths with COVID-19 had asymptomatic/mild disease. Underlying pulmonary conditions increased the risk of severe COVID-19, while vaccination was highly protective against severe disease in youths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tawny Saleh
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Trevon Fuller
- Institute for the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mary C. Cambou
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Eddy R. Segura
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Huánuco, Huánuco 10260, Peru;
| | - Edwin Kamau
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (E.K.)
| | - Shangxin Yang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (E.K.)
| | - Omai B. Garner
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (E.K.)
| | - Karin Nielsen-Saines
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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