ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: During the second wave of COVID-19, there is an increasing incidence of reported cases in children compared to the early wave. Data on the clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 in children are evolving, and reports on the characteristics and outcomes of severe COVID-19 in children are still under evaluation. We aimed to describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics and outcomes of children with COVID-19 infection admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). RESULTS: The study included 27 children with COVID-19 infection. Fever, respiratory, and gastrointestinal (GIT) symptoms were predominant presenting symptoms in our patients. The median age of our patients was 9 months (2 m-12 years). Comorbidity was reported in 59.3%. The typical laboratory findings were leukocytosis, lymphopenia, elevated C-reactive proteins levels, and elevated d-dimer levels. The most frequent radiological findings were ground-glass opacities in 100% of patients and bilateral findings in 96%, while cardiomegaly was found in 44% of patients. The multisystem inflammatory syndrome was reported in 33% of patients with GIT symptoms were the most frequent presenting symptoms. Myocarditis was reported in 22% of patients. The mortality rate in this cohort was 14.8%. On multivariate analysis, the only predictor of mortality was the development of MIS-C. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is more severe in children with comorbid conditions. Fever, respiratory and gastrointestinal (GIT) symptoms were predominant presenting symptoms. MIS-C is of increasing concern in children with high mortality rates. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43088-021-00168-x.
