EP502 - DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS IN CHILDREN WITH COVID-19 BEFORE AND DURING THE DELTA-VARIANT, IN BRASOV, ROMANIA (ID 1212)
Abstract
Backgrounds:
COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has represented a major public health crisis in Romania and worldwide. Compared to previous strains, delta-variant has been a burden for the local pediatric healthcare system.
Methods
- retrospective observational study conducted between May-December 2020 and January–March and September–November 2021
- study included 314 children aged <18 years, diagnosed and hospitalized in 3 different paediatric units in the region (inclusion criteria was a positive RT-PCR result)
Results:
| Demographic data: Total of patients = 314 | |||
| No. patients in 2020 = 172 | No. patients in 2021 = 142 | ||
| Gender | M = 41.86% ; F = 58.14% | M = 60.56% F = 39.44% | |
| Residence | Rural 33.13% Urban 66.87 % | Rural 29.57% Urban 70.43% | |
| Mean age | 7.5 years (range 9 days – 18 yr) A higher percentace of patients in the 0 – 5 yr old age interval in 2021 (64.07% vs 31.08%, P=0.0001) | ||
| Symptoms | Most patients symptomatic. Bigger % of asymptomatic in the first waves compared to delta (27.9% vs 1.04%) Most frequent: fever, cough, GI tract symptoms, cephalgia A cluster of patients with croup-like symptoms (barking cough, hoarsness) were observed in the 2021 cohort in contrast with 2020. | ||
| Underlying medical conditions | 15% of patients (cystic fibrosis, neurological illness, malnutrition) | ||
| Laboratory findings | Normal WBC majority of cases. High ferritin values and high D-Dimers were also found in similar fractions across both groups Normal chest x-ray or non-specificic interstitial abnormalities in most cases. | ||
| Follow-up | No MIS-C was reported afterwards. | ||
Conclusions/Learning Points:
Delta variant proved to be more contagious in children, with a higher hospitalization rate. More symptomatic cases requiring appropriate treatment were seen in practice.
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