A new study published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection investigated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).

This retrospective study selected pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from January-March 2020, from seven hospitals in Zhejiang Province, China.

Overall, 32 children with COVID-19 were enrolled, ranging from 3 months to 18 years. It was noted that family aggregation occurred in 87.5% of infants and preschool-aged children (7/8) and also school-aged children (14/16), but in only 12.5% (1/8) of adolescents. Most patients had mild symptoms – mainly fever (20/32) followed by cough (10/32) and fatigue (4/32). The average durations of viral RNA in respiratory samples and gastrointestinal samples were 15.8 days and 28.9 days, respectively. Meanwhile, detox duration in feces decreased with age – 39.8 days, 27.5 days and 20.4 days in infants and preschool children, school children and adolescents, respectively. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 14 children, but there was no statistical significance in the incidence of pneumonia in different age groups. Thirty patients were treated with antiviral drugs, and all patients were stable, and gradually improved after admission.

The findings showed that most children with COVID-19 had a mild process and a good prognosis. Viral RNA lasts longer in the gastrointestinal system than in the respiratory tract, especially in younger children.

Source: Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 2020 Jun 27;S1198-743X(20)30359-1. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.06.015.