Factors Associated With Severe Gastrointestinal Diagnoses in Children With SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome
Key Points Question Is COVID-19 associated with severe gastrointestinal manifestations in children? Findings In this multicenter cohort study of 685 Italian children with COVID-19, 10% showed severe gastrointestinal involvement characterized by diffuse adeno-mesenteritis, appendicitis, abdominal fluid collection, ileal intussusception, or pancreatitis. Children older than 5 years and those presenting with abdominal pain, leukopenia, or receiving a diagnosis of multisystem inflammatory syndrome were more likely to have severe gastrointestinal manifestations. Meaning Severe gastrointestinal involvement is not uncommon in children with COVID-19, and awareness about its frequency and presentati…
COVID-19 in Infants Less than 3 Months: Severe or Not Severe Disease?
Abstract: Compared to adults, severe or fatal COVID-19 disease is much less common in children. However, a higher risk for progression has been reported in infants. Different pediatric COVID-19 severity scores are reported in the literature. Methods: Subjects under 90 days of age admitted to 35 Italian institutions for COVID-19 were included. The severity of COVID-19 was scored as mild/moderate or severe/critical following the classification reported in the literature by Venturini, Dong, Kanburoglu, and Gale. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of each classification system, we stratified all enrolled patients developing a posteriori severity score based on clinical presentation and outcomes…
Severe Gastrointestinal Features in Children with COVID-19: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study
Background: Severe gastrointestinal (GI) involvement has been occasionally reported in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection or among those with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). We aimed to investigate the clinical, radiological and histopathological GI characteristics in order to identify factors associated with severe outcome. Methods: In this multicenter retrospective nationwide cohort study, symptomatic children with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or MIS-C were enrolled. Children who received a diagnosis of acute abdomen, appendicitis, intussusception, pancreatitis, diffuse adeno-mesenteritis or abdominal fluid collections requiring surgical consultation and temporally…