Clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cienfuegos, 2020-2021

• Published in: MediSur Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 190 - 198
• Main Authors: Mercedes Fonseca Hernández, Dunia María Chávez Amaro, Vivian Isabel Chávez Pérez, Julio Héctor Jova Dueñas, Tamara L. Jiménez Sáez, Ifrain Machín Caride
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Centro Provincial de Información de Ciencias Médicas. Cienfuegos 01-03-2022
• Subjects: covid-19; infecciones por coronavirus; niños
• ISSN: 1727-897X

Background: the significant increase in the numbers of COVID-19 patients in Cuba and the increasing incidence rate in the pediatric age represent an emerging health problem.
Objective: to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of children confirmed with COVID-19 in Cienfuegos, during the first year of the pandemic.
Methods: observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, ambispective study. The study universe consisted of 104 pediatric patients diagnosed with the disease. The time horizon was from March 2020 to March 2021. The analyzed variables were: age, sex, origin, personal pathological history, initial symptoms, nutritional status, source of infection, laboratory results, persistence of positive RT-PCR, associated clinical manifestations to treatment and evolution. An individual medical history was taken during hospitalization.
Results: the most frequent age was adolescence, discrete male predominance. More than 50% of the cases were asymptomatic. The most frequent initial symptoms were fever and runny nose. The 94% of those confirmed were autochthonous. The complementary tests showed enzymatic alterations associated with the viral infection. The 100% of the children had a favorable evolution.
Conclusions: COVID-19 continues as a health problem worldwide. Children are a vulnerable group that needs continuous monitoring. The signs and symptoms can be similar to other viral respiratory infections, which require maintaining a high index of suspicion for COVID-19 in children.