Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pediatrics, Abha Maternity and Children Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
World J Pediatr. 2021 Jun;17(3):272-279. doi: 10.1007/s12519-021-00432-1. Epub 2021 May 10.
It had been documented in many studies that pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by low infectivity rates, low mortalities, and benign disease course. On the other hand, influenza type A viruses are recognized to cause severe and fatal infections in children populations worldwide. This study is aimed to compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 and H1N1 influenza infections.
A retrospective study comprising 107 children hospitalized at Abha Maternity and Children Hospital, Southern region of Saudi Arabia, with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and H1N1 influenza infections was carried out. A complete follow-up for all patients from the hospital admission until discharge or death was made. The clinical data and laboratory parameters for these patients were collected from the medical records of the hospital.
Out of the total enrolled patients, 73 (68.2%) were diagnosed with COVID-19, and 34 (31.8%) were diagnosed with H1N1 influenza. The median age is 12 months for COVID-19 patients and 36 months for influenza patients. A relatively higher number of patients with influenza had a fever and respiratory symptoms than COVID-19 patients. In contrast, gastrointestinal symptoms were observed in a higher number of COVID-19 patients than in influenza patients. A statistically significant increase in white cell counts is noted in COVID-19 but not in influenza patients (P < 0.05). There are no obvious variations in the mean period of duration of hospitalization between COVID-19 and influenza patients. However, the total intensive care unit length of stay was longer for influenza compared to COVID-19 patients.
A considerable number of children infected with COVID-19 and H1N1 influenza were noted and reported in this study. There were no significant variations in the severity of the symptomatology and laboratory findings between the two groups of patients. Significant differences between these patients in some hospitalization factors and diagnosis upon admission also were not observed. However, more severe clinical manifestations and serious consequences were observed among pediatric patients hospitalized with influenza infections than among those with COVID-19.
许多研究已经证明，儿童感染 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的传染性较低，死亡率较低，疾病过程良性。另一方面，甲型流感病毒被认为会导致全球儿童人群中严重和致命的感染。本研究旨在比较 COVID-19 和 H1N1 流感感染的临床和实验室特征。
对在沙特阿拉伯南部阿巴母婴医院住院的 107 例实验室确诊的 COVID-19 和 H1N1 流感感染患儿进行回顾性研究。对所有患者从入院到出院或死亡进行了完整的随访。从医院病历中收集了这些患者的临床数据和实验室参数。
在总共纳入的患者中，73 例（68.2%）被诊断为 COVID-19，34 例（31.8%）被诊断为 H1N1 流感。COVID-19 患者的中位年龄为 12 个月，流感患者的中位年龄为 36 个月。与 COVID-19 患者相比，患有流感的患者发热和呼吸道症状的比例相对较高。相比之下，胃肠道症状在 COVID-19 患者中更为常见。COVID-19 患者的白细胞计数明显升高，但流感患者没有（P<0.05）。COVID-19 患者和流感患者的住院时间无明显差异。然而，与 COVID-19 患者相比，流感患者在重症监护病房的停留时间更长。
本研究报告了相当数量的儿童感染 COVID-19 和 H1N1 流感。两组患者的症状和实验室检查结果严重程度无明显差异。入院时这些患者在某些住院因素和诊断方面也没有明显差异。然而，与 COVID-19 感染住院的儿科患者相比，流感感染住院的儿科患者临床表现更为严重，后果更为严重。
