Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Management, and Pharmaceutical Care Innovation Centre, Pharmacy School, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Paediatr Int Child Health. 2021 Feb;41(1):83-92. doi: 10.1080/20469047.2020.1804733. Epub 2020 Sep 7.
Data on COVID-19 in children are limited. This study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics, laboratory results and longitudinal RT-PCR- testing pattern in children infected with theSARS-CoV2 virus and admitted to a hospital in Jordan.
The study is a retrospective chart review of patients admitted between 16 March and 23 April 2020. All infected children in Jordan were hospitalised. Serial RT-PCR testing was undertaken 7 days after the first test and then on alternate days until discharge. The association between patient symptoms and laboratory results and whether there was a statistically significant median difference in the number of days until negative RT-PCR results between patients was studied.
Sixty-one patients with positive SARS-CoV2 swabs were admitted, 34 (55.7%) of whom were symptomatic. The most common symptom was nasal congestion (21/61, 34.3%), followed by generalised malaise and headache (12/6, 19.7%). A rash was detected in 5/61 (8.2%) of them. Fifty-five patients (90.1%) underwent investigations: 4 (7.4%) of them had lymphopenia, 4 (7.4%) had eosinopenia, 8 (14.5%) had eosinophilia, and platelets were elevated in 5 (9.1%) children. CRP was measured in 33/61 (54.1%) patients and all were normal. ESR levels were available for 11/61 (18%) patients and were elevated in 5 (45.5%). There was a statistically significant association between laboratory results and symptom expression ( = 0.011). The longest time until the first negative RT-PCR result was 39 days.
All children admitted who tested positive for SARS-CoV2 had mild symptoms and five had cutaneous manifestations. RT-PCR may remain positive for over one month.
关于儿童 COVID-19 的数据有限。本研究旨在确定在约旦一家医院住院的感染 SARS-CoV2 病毒的儿童的临床特征、实验室结果和纵向 RT-PCR 检测模式。
本研究是对 2020 年 3 月 16 日至 4 月 23 日期间住院的患者进行的回顾性图表审查。约旦所有感染的儿童均住院治疗。在第一次检测后 7 天进行连续 RT-PCR 检测，然后每隔一天进行一次，直到出院。研究了患者症状和实验室结果之间的关联，以及是否存在统计学上显著的中位数差异，即直到 RT-PCR 结果转为阴性的天数。
61 例 SARS-CoV2 拭子阳性患者入院，其中 34 例（55.7%）有症状。最常见的症状是鼻塞（21/61，34.3%），其次是全身不适和头痛（12/61，19.7%）。5/61（8.2%）的患者出现皮疹。55 例（90.1%）患者接受了检查：4 例（7.4%）患者出现淋巴细胞减少症，4 例（7.4%）患者出现嗜酸性粒细胞减少症，8 例（14.5%）患者出现嗜酸性粒细胞增多症，5 例（9.1%）患儿血小板升高。33/61（54.1%）患者检测了 CRP，均正常。11/61（18%）患者可获得 ESR 水平，其中 5 例（45.5%）升高。实验室结果与症状表达之间存在统计学显著关联（ = 0.011）。第一次 RT-PCR 结果转为阴性的最长时间为 39 天。
所有检测呈 SARS-CoV2 阳性并住院的儿童均有轻度症状，其中 5 例有皮肤表现。RT-PCR 可能持续阳性超过一个月。
