ABSTRACT
Among individuals who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, smell and taste sensations were significantly less impaired among children than among adults, in a stepwise manner. Sensory impairment was correlated with recent data of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression in the corresponding age groups. This is the first report to compare sensory impairment in children and adults testing positive for coronavirus disease 2019.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/physiopathology , Hypesthesia/virology , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/biosynthesis , Pneumonia, Viral/physiopathology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , Betacoronavirus/isolation & purification , COVID-19 , Child , Child, Preschool , Coronavirus Infections/enzymology , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/virology , Humans , Hypesthesia/enzymology , Hypesthesia/physiopathology , Israel/epidemiology , Pandemics , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/metabolism , Pneumonia, Viral/enzymology , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , SARS-CoV-2 , Smell/physiology , Taste/physiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
We examined the dynamics of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) transmission within families. Our investigation demonstrated significantly lower rates of COVID-19 positivity in children compared with adults residing in the same household. Children of 5-17 years of age were 61% and children of 0-4 years of age were 47% less likely to have positive polymerase chain reaction results compared with adults residing in the same household.
