ABSTRACT
COVID-19 affects the paediatric population less frequently than adults. A retrospective study was performed in a tertiary paediatric hospital in Mexico City in children <18 years of age who were hospitalized with a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for SARS-CoV-2. Included in the study were 86 patients with a median age of 10 years old (IQR 2.6-14.3 years), who were classified in three groups: previously healthy, with chronic disease and immunosuppressed patients. The principal signs and symptoms were fever (81%), cough (51%) and headache (35%). A total of 20 patients (23%) required management in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and 17% needed mechanical ventilation for an average of 12.7 days (IQR 2-29 days). There was no statistically significant difference between the three clinical classification groups in those patients admitted to the PICU, most of which were previously healthy patients. The mortality rate was 5% (four patients). Given that the paediatric population is susceptible to infection, potential transmitters and to clinical presentations with variable degrees of severity, it is important to continue reinforcing social distancing measures.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Mexico/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , Tertiary Care CentersABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recently, hoarseness affecting the supraglottic structure has been reported in Kawasaki disease (KD). The objective of this study was to characterize the frequency of hoarseness in acute KD patients in Latin America. METHODS: We used prospective data from the multinational Red de Enfermedad de Kawasaki en America Latina (REKAMLATINA) network. A total of 865 patients from 20 countries were enrolled during the 3 year study period. Data on hoarseness were available in 858 (99.2%) patients. The clinical and laboratory characteristics between hoarse and non-hoarse KD were compared. RESULTS: Hoarseness was documented in 100 (11.6%) patients. Hoarse patients were younger than those with KD without hoarseness (median age 18 vs 26 months; P = 0.002) and presented with lower hemoglobin (10.7 g/dL vs 11.3 g/dL; P = 0.040) and hematocrit levels (32% vs 33%, P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Hoarseness was found to be prevalent as a presenting sign of acute KD in younger children. Anemia may indicate the presence of active inflammation.
Subject(s)
Anemia , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome , Adolescent , Child , Hemoglobins , Hoarseness , Humans , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/complications , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/diagnosis , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/epidemiology , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
The SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Since then, the disease caused by this new coronavirus, COVID-19, represents a growing threat to human health. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped single-stranded RNA virus classified in the subfamily Coronavirinae, genus Belacoronavirus. The homology of genomes suggests that bats might be the original host of the virus, and pangolins the intermediate host. The viral glycoprotein S is a crucial target for the development of vaccines, therapeutic targets, and diagnostic tests. This protein facilitates viral entry into target cells and determines host tropism.