Abstract :
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in majority of children manifests as mild to moderate illness and low rate of severe/critical illness/fatality. There is limited information about the SARS-CoV-2 infection, clinical profile and outcome in children with comorbid conditions.
Objective: To analyze the clinical profile, severity and outcome of COVID-19 in children with and without comorbidity.
Study design: An observational study was conducted in the pediatric unit of tertiary care hospital. Children between 1-12 years with positive RT PCR report for COVID-19 were included. All admitted children were classified into comorbidity and without comorbidity groups. They were assessed clinically, categorized as mild, moderate and severe based on Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) guidelines and Outcomes were measured.
Study design: Categorical variables were compared using Chi-square test and Proportions were compared using Fisher's Exact test. Probability (p) value less than 0.05 was taken as significant.
Result: Fever (100%) was the most common presentation, followed by cough (61.8%). Respiratory distress (41.6%) and hypoxia (37.5%) were the significant (p value
Conclusion: COVID-19 in comorbid children had a statistically significant impact on clinical presentation but no impact on outcomes of disease.
Keyword :
Respiratory distress, Hypoxia, Comorbidity, SARSCoV2 illness Positive RT PCR