Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To present the current evidence on clinical and laboratory characteristics of infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during childhood and adolescence.Data source: This is a narrative review conducted in the databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE/PubMed), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature in the Virtual Health Library (LILACS/VHL), Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, portal of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), ScienceDirect, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). The terms used were SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, novel coronavirus, child, newborn, and adolescent.Data synthesis: Unlike adults, most children infected by SARS-CoV-2 have mild or asymptomatic clinical presentations. Symptomatic children mainly have low fever and cough, with some associated gastrointestinal symptoms. Severe cases are rare and occur especially in infants under one year of age. Detection of viral particles in feces seems to be more persistent in children and can be used as a tool for diagnosis and control of the quarantine period. Different from adults, children can present distinct inflammatory responses, as has happened in new cases of Kawasaki-like syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.Conclusions: Most children have asymptomatic or mild presentations, with a prevalence of fever, cough, and gastrointestinal symptoms. New cases with different systemic inflammatory reactions in children have been reported, with clinical manifestations distinct from those typically found in adults.
Highlights
Detected in the city of Wuhan, a novel coronavirus has gained worldwide prominence for two main characteristics: its highly contagious nature and consequent intercontinental spread and its impact on the global economy and public health.1This novel betacoronavirus was called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the disease it causes was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[2]
This review aimed to present the current evidence on clinical and laboratory characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection during childhood and adolescence
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published United States data on SARS-CoV-2 infection in children: 149,760 laboratory-confirmed cases occurring between February 12 and April 2, 2020 were analyzed, and, among the 149,082 (99.6%) cases with age information, 2,572 (1.7%) corresponded to individuals younger than 18 years, with 5.7% of them requiring hospitalization and only 3 reported deaths.10Dong et al.[11] analyzed 2,143 COVID-19 cases in children reported to the Chinese
Summary
Detected in the city of Wuhan, a novel coronavirus has gained worldwide prominence for two main characteristics: its highly contagious nature and consequent intercontinental spread and its impact on the global economy and public health.1This novel betacoronavirus was called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the disease it causes was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[2]. After this initial phase, in mid-January 2020, the disease started to be transmitted within family units, spreading to children and older adults.[4] The first case of infection in children occurred in a family unit, about a week after a trip to the city of Wuhan. In mid-January 2020, the disease started to be transmitted within family units, spreading to children and older adults.[4] The first case of infection in children occurred in a family unit, about a week after a trip to the city of Wuhan It affected a 10-year-old child, who was asymptomatic but had ground-glass opacities on the chest computed tomography (CT).[5]. This review aimed to present the current evidence on clinical and laboratory characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection during childhood and adolescence
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