Pediatr Infect Vaccine.  2024 Apr;31(1):83-93. 10.14776/piv.2024.31.e13.

Comparison of the Clinical and Laboratory Features of COVID-19 in Children During All Waves of the Epidemic: A Single Center Retrospective Study

• Suh S
• Kim H

• KMID: 2555429
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14776/piv.2024.31.e13

Abstract

Purpose
Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, various variants of concern have emerged. We divided the representative COVID-19 mutation period into four waves and aimed to analyze the clinical and laboratory features of children with COVID-19 from pre-mutation wave to the middle of omicron wave.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of hospitalized patients aged ≤19 years with laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Clinical and laboratory findings during premutation (February 1st 2020 to September 30th 2020), alpha/beta (October 1st 2020 to May 31st 2021), delta (June 1st 2021 to October 31st 2021), and omicron (November 1st 2021 to May 31st 2022) waves were compared.
Results
Among total 827 patients, 163 (19.7%) were asymptomatic, and the frequency of fever and cough was 320 (38.7%) and 399 (48.2%), respectively. The proportion of fever ≥38.5°C was observed to be high during the omicron wave in the age group under 12 years. Lymphopenia was observed highly in the omicron wave in the age group under 12 years, and in the delta wave in the age group older than 12 years. Neutropenia was highly observed in the delta wave in the 0–4 years age group.
Conclusions
There were distinct characteristics during all epidemic waves of COVID-19. Children with COVID-19 had more frequent persistent fever during delta wave and children during the omicron wave had a higher peak fever.

Keyword

COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Children; Neutropenia; Lymphopenia