Title : Clinical characteristics and outcomes of pediatric patients with suspected and confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) infection admitted in a tertiary government hospital in the Philippines
Abstract:
Background: While there is evidence that the burden of COVID-19 infection in hospitalized children is lesser than in their adult counterparts, currently, there are limited reports describing clinical data on COVID-19 patients particularly in pediatric population.
Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of Suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in pediatric patients admitted at a tertiary government hospital from March 2020- February 2021.
Study Design: Retrospective, descriptive study
Setting: A Tertiary Government Hospital (Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center) in Manila, Philippines
Population: Pediatric patients aged 1 day to 18 year old with Suspected/ Confirmed COVID 19 Infection
Results: The total number of patients included in the study is 213 pediatric patients. There are 7 (3.29%) patients who have tested positive on COVID-19 based on the result of the RT-PCR while 206 (96.71%) have tested negative. The mean age is 5 years old. Majority were male 53.05% while female 46.95%. In COVID-19 positive patients, where 71.43% were male and 28.57% were female. Large portion were from Manila 81.22% and Non-Manilan 18.78%. In terms clinical presentation, most patients had fever 153 (71.83%), cough 109 (51.17%) and dyspnea 86 (40.37%). All COVID-19 positive have varied comorbid conditions while there are 66 (32.03%) COVID-19 negative. Patients were managed with antibiotics 155 (72.77%), inotropes 15 (7.04%), and steroids 51 (23.9%). The median days on the length of stay is around 6 days. In terms of severity of disease, most patients had moderate 179 (84.0%), followed by severe 19 (8.92%) and critical 15 (7.04%). The mean length of stay was 8 days. Majority of patients were discharged improved 91.55%.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on global health which can affect pediatric patients and can cause mortality among them. But most pediatric patients have moderate disease and discharged improved.
