ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze clinical differences between a pediatric population with and without confirmed positive close contact for the new coronavirus, to establish the symptoms that define a population currently served in a children's emergency room for which polymerase chain reaction (PCR) collection for SARS-COV-2 is performed, and thus, make clinical and laboratory screening more reliable and applicable in medical routine. METHOD: Cross-sectional study that characterized 128 children (0-17 years old) who collected PCR for SARS-COV-2 when seen in an emergency room at a private hospital between March and June 2020. Data were collected from the electronic medical record of the researched hospital. RESULTS: Patients positive for close contact with COVID-19 had more diarrhea (P = .03) and less fever (P = .003) and coughing (P = .03). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups on gender distribution, age, isolation of other etiologic agents, chest x-ray abnormalities, or the need for hospitalization. SARS-Cov-2 PCR showed a higher positivity among patients on the close contact positive group (P < .001). CONCLUSION: As seen in previous research, positive SARS-CoV-2 tests are not required for the pediatric population to be diagnosed with the new coronavirus. Diarrhea should be included in those related to a high suspicion of potential SARS-CoV-2 infection, prompting nasopharyngeal PCR collection. However, fever and cough are unspecific symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 infection and should not be considered as warning signs for parents and, more importantly, for pediatricians to collect screening examinations.