Impact of human coronavirus infections on paediatric patients at a tertiary paediatric hospital: a retrospective study of the prepandemic era

Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are important respiratory pathogens in humans and animals. Most HCoVs are emerging pathogens, with five known human pathogens identified in the last two decades. To examine the clinical course of HCoV infection in children to improve understanding of severity and outcomes...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The Journal of hospital infection Vol. 134; pp. 27 - 34
Main Authors:	Alsulami, A.O., Chahine, R., Kong, M., Kimberlin, D.W., Whitley, R.J., James, S.H.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2023
Subjects:	Child Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control Hospitals, Pediatric Human coronaviruses Humans Inpatients Nosocomial infections Paediatric patients Respiratory Tract Infections - epidemiology Respiratory viral infections Retrospective Studies Human coronaviruses Respiratory viral infections Nosocomial infections Paediatric patients
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are important respiratory pathogens in humans and animals. Most HCoVs are emerging pathogens, with five known human pathogens identified in the last two decades. To examine the clinical course of HCoV infection in children to improve understanding of severity and outcomes. A retrospective review was undertaken of all encounters of children with known HCoV infection at a tertiary paediatric hospital from January 2015 to January 2018. Electronic medical records were reviewed for demographic data, HCoV type, viral co-pathogens, time to testing, need for hospitalization, requirement for higher-level care (HLC) including intensive care unit management and requirement for oxygen support, radiographic findings suggestive of lower respiratory tract (LRT) disease, and length of stay (LOS). In total, 450 encounters for 430 different patients were identified, with the majority (85%) being inpatient. OC43 was the most common HCoV. Younger patients (age <5 years) had higher probability of hospitalization [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–4.1], requirement for HLC (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.0–3.1) and presence of LRT findings on chest radiographs (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.01–2.9). Clinical outcomes did not differ between HCoV types, except LOS which was longer for 229E. Fifty-two (11%) encounters were detected after 3 days of hospitalization (median 25.5 days), suggesting possible nosocomial infection. HCoVs are important respiratory pathogens in the paediatric population, especially among patients aged <5 years who are at increased risk for severe disease. The role of HCoVs as hospital-acquired pathogens may be underappreciated.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0195-6701 1532-2939
DOI:	10.1016/j.jhin.2022.12.021