Influenza vs. COVID-19: Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in Pediatric Patients in Mexico City

• Main Authors: Almudena Laris-González (Author), Martha Avilés-Robles (Author), Clemen Domínguez-Barrera (Author), Israel Parra-Ortega (Author), José Luis Sánchez-Huerta (Author), Karla Ojeda-Diezbarroso (Author), Sergio Bonilla-Pellegrini (Author), Víctor Olivar-López (Author), Adrián Chávez-López (Author), Rodolfo Jiménez-Juárez (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Introduction: Respiratory viruses are among the leading causes of disease and death among children. Co-circulation of influenza and SARS-CoV2 can lead to diagnostic and management difficulties given the similarities in the clinical picture.Methods: This is a cohort of all children hospitalized with SARS-CoV2 infection from March to September 3rd 2020, and all children admitted with influenza throughout five flu-seasons (2013-2018) at a pediatric referral hospital. Patients with influenza were identified from the clinical laboratory database. All hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV2 infection were followed-up prospectively.Results: A total of 295 patients with influenza and 133 with SARS-CoV2 infection were included. The median age was 3.7 years for influenza and 5.3 years for SARS-CoV2. Comorbidities were frequent in both groups, but they were more common in patients with influenza (96.6 vs. 82.7%, p < 0.001). Fever and cough were the most common clinical manifestations in both groups. Rhinorrhea was present in more than half of children with influenza but was infrequent in those with COVID-19 (53.6 vs. 5.8%, p < 0.001). Overall, 6.4% percent of patients with influenza and 7.5% percent of patients with SARS-CoV2 infection died. In-hospital mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation among symptomatic patients were similar between groups in the multivariate analysis.Conclusions: Influenza and COVID-19 have a similar picture in pediatric patients, which makes diagnostic testing necessary for adequate diagnosis and management. Even though most cases of COVID-19 in children are asymptomatic or mild, the risk of death among hospitalized patients with comorbidities may be substantial, especially among infants.

Item Description

2296-2360
10.3389/fped.2021.676611