A literature review of 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) infection in neonates and children

At the time of writing, there are already millions of documented infections worldwide by the novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2)), with hundreds of thousands of deaths. The great majority of fatal events have been recorded in adults older...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric research 2021-04, Vol.89 (5), p.1101-1108
Main Authors: Di Nardo, Matteo, van Leeuwen, Grace, Loreti, Alessandra, Barbieri, Maria Antonietta, Guner, Yit, Locatelli, Franco, Ranieri, Vito Marco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Disease transmission
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Pediatric Surgery
Pediatrics
Review Article
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
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Summary:At the time of writing, there are already millions of documented infections worldwide by the novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2)), with hundreds of thousands of deaths. The great majority of fatal events have been recorded in adults older than 70 years; of them, a large proportion had comorbidities. Since data regarding the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics in neonates and children developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are scarce and originate mainly from one country (China), we reviewed all the current literature from 1 December 2019 to 7 May 2020 to provide useful information about SARS-CoV2 viral biology, epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical features, treatment, prevention, and hospital organization for clinicians dealing with this selected population. Impact Children usually develop a mild form of COVID-19, rarely requiring high-intensity medical treatment in pediatric intensive care unit. Vertical transmission is unlikely, but not completely excluded. Children with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 must be isolated and healthcare workers should wear appropriate protective equipment. Some clinical features (higher incidence of fever, vomiting and diarrhea, and a longer incubation period) are more common in children than in adults, as well as some radiologic aspects (more patchy shadow opacities on CT scan images than ground-glass opacities). Supportive and symptomatic treatments (oxygen therapy and antibiotics for preventing/treating bacterial coinfections) are recommended in these patients.
ISSN:0031-3998
1530-0447
DOI:10.1038/s41390-020-1065-5