Tassanakijpanich Nattaporn, Chumchuen Kemmapon, Worachotekamjorn Juthamas, Laoprasopwattana Kamolwish
Division of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand.
Department of Clinical Research and Medical Data Science, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand.
Pediatr Res. 2024 Oct 12. doi: 10.1038/s41390-024-03614-5.
To compare the differences in child development between children who contracted COVID-19 after February 1st, 2022, the period when the B.1.1.529 variant outbreak began to peak in Thailand, and those who did not.
A prospective cohort study was conducted in an outpatient pediatric clinic at a tertiary hospital in southern Thailand. COVID-19 was diagnosed based on the results of an FDA-approved antigen test or RT-PCR using a swab sample collected from the nasopharynx, nose, or throat. Child development was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3).
Of the 336 participants, 180 (53.6%) had a history of COVID-19. Almost all of them had mild COVID-19. The mean (SD) age at infection was 1.3 (0.3) years, and the median (IQR) duration between infection and ASQ-3 assessment was 193.5 (167.8, 216.2) days. The ASQ-3 scores at the ages of 18 (n = 166; 90 COVID-19 positive) and 24 months (n = 170; 90 COVID-19 positive) revealed no statistically significant differences between children with and without a history of COVID-19. Both groups had comparable proportions of developmental scores <1 SD below the mean.
Mild COVID-19 in young children did not increase the risk of developmental delays.
This cohort study was conducted during the Omicron pandemic. Of the 336 children, no clinical or statistically significant differences were observed in the scores of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition, at 18 or 24 months of age among the 180 participants with a history of mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, at an average of 6 months post-infection, and those without. The findings suggest that mild SARS-CoV-2 infection before the age of 2 years is not associated with developmental delays. Strategies to prevent severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in young children, especially COVID-19 immunization, need to be highlighted.
比较2022年2月1日之后感染新冠病毒的儿童与未感染儿童在发育方面的差异，2022年2月1日是泰国B.1.1.529变异株疫情开始达到高峰的时期。
在泰国南部一家三级医院的儿科门诊进行了一项前瞻性队列研究。根据美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）批准的抗原检测结果或使用从鼻咽、鼻腔或咽喉采集的拭子样本进行的逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）诊断新冠病毒感染。使用《年龄与发育阶段问卷》第三版（ASQ-3）评估儿童发育情况。
在336名参与者中，180名（53.6%）有新冠病毒感染史。他们几乎都感染的是轻症新冠。感染时的平均（标准差）年龄为1.3（0.3）岁，感染与ASQ-3评估之间的中位（四分位间距）时长为193.5（167.8，216.2）天。18个月（n = 166；90名新冠病毒检测呈阳性）和24个月（n = 170；90名新冠病毒检测呈阳性）时的ASQ-3评分显示，有和没有新冠病毒感染史的儿童之间无统计学显著差异。两组发育评分低于均值1个标准差的比例相当。
幼儿轻症新冠不会增加发育迟缓风险。
这项队列研究是在奥密克戎大流行期间进行的。在336名儿童中，180名有轻症严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）感染史的参与者在感染后平均6个月时，与没有感染史的参与者相比，在18或24个月龄时的《年龄与发育阶段问卷》第三版评分未观察到临床或统计学显著差异。研究结果表明，2岁前的轻症SARS-CoV-2感染与发育迟缓无关。需要强调预防幼儿严重SARS-CoV-2感染的策略，尤其是新冠病毒免疫接种。
