A recently published study recently discovered that having pre-existing comorbidity was the strongest indication of danger for severe COVID-19 infection in children.
As specified in a Healio report, medical student Milan Ho from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center presented study findings at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition.
A study found that having a pre-existing comorbidity was the strongest indicator of risk for severe COVID-19 in children, according to data reported @AAPexperience. https://t.co/hm44jI3paS
— Healio Pediatrics (@IDinChildren) October 9, 2022
In this report, Ho explained that even though severe COVID-19 infection is more unusual in children compared to adults, they wanted to understand what factors, which include clinical factors, demographics, and status of vaccination, are affecting the likelihood of a child with COVID-19 experiencing a severe outcome like hospitalization, invasive respiratory support, admission at the ICU, or even death.
COVID-19 Infection in Children
Ho, together with her colleagues carried out a retrospective observational study that investigated the impact of clinical and demographic factors and vaccination on COVID-19 outcomes among children aged below 18 years old.
They examined data on children who tested positive for COVID-19 through PCR or antigen tests between March 2020 and January 2022.
Out of more than 218,000 children who tested positive for the virus, four percent were either admitted to the hospital, required ventilation or UCU care, or died.
By far, the study investigators reported, the strongest predictors of such outcomes in all groups were higher a score on the pediatric morbidity index, with ORs of
'Borderline Clinically Significant Predictors'
The researchers noted that in all groups studied, unknown insurance status, infection with the COVID-19 alpha strain, and the Black race was found to be "borderline clinically substantial predictors" of the severe outcome.
The team observed too, that the OR of severe infection when comparing at least a single dose of the vaccine without any known vaccination was 0.55 or 95 percent in the vaccine-eligible group.
Such information could help clinicians identify who is at the highest risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection, and assign resources and treatments appropriately, according to assistant professor of pediatrics and co-author of the study, Zachary Most, MD, from UT Southwestern Medical Center.
In addition, Zachary explained, it could offer more real-world data on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in the prevention of severe disease in children.
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions in Children
A Contagion report said that according to a new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even though severe COVID-19 cases, as earlier mentioned, are uncommon among children, those who have pre-existing medical conditions, which include type 1 diabetes and cardiac congenital anomalies, or meet criteria for medical complications are at increased risk for severe illness and hospital admission.
In the study published in the JAMA Network Open journal, the researchers also examined the link of severe COVID-19 infection to the presence of medical complications, defined using the validated pediatric medical complexity algorithm or PMCA for the complex and noncomplex chronic disease's presence or absence.
Essentially, medical complexity was linked to the risk of hospital admission and severe illness when hospitalized. Compared with children who do not have a chronic illness, children who have a non-complex chronic illness and complex chronic illness are more than twice, and 7.8 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital, respectively.
Related information about COVID-19 in children is shown on WION's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on COVID-19 in Science Times.
