The changing clinical presentation of COVID-19 in children during the course of the pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children: Evolving epidemiology, immunology, symptoms, diagnostics, treatment, post-COVID-19 conditions, prevention strategies, and future directions

The epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children has evolved throughout the pandemic, with initially low infection rates rising significantly as a result of the emergence of the more transmissible Omicron variant. Adolescents, children from ethnic minorities and lower-income households, and those with obesity are at increased risk of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The immune response in children leads to milder symptoms compared to adults, with fever and cough being most frequent; tough symptoms vary by SARS-CoV-2 variant and age. Diagnostic methods to confirm current or past infection include reverse transcription PCR, rapid antigen tests, and serology. Treatment is mainly supportive, with antivirals and glucocorticoids reserved for severe cases. While serious conditions like multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and other post-COVID-19 conditions are rare, they require careful management. Vaccination has proven effective in reducing severe disease and protecting against post-COVID-19 conditions. Continued surveillance, including wastewater monitoring and universal or pooled testing, remains crucial for controlling community spread. Key questions remain regarding the duration and quality of immunity after reinfection or vaccination, the impact of coinfections, and optimal treatment protocols for different pediatric populations.

Neurological manifestations and risk factors associated with poor prognosis in hospitalized children with Omicron variant infection

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%.