Comparison Between Pediatric Patients With and Without Close Contact With COVID-19 in a Brazilian City During SARS-CoV-2 Pandemics

• Published in: Clinical pediatrics 2023-05, Vol.62 (4), p.316-320
• Main Authors: Pinto, Isabela M.C., Helito, Alberto C., Fonseca, Ricardo Luiz A., Gumiero, Flavia N., El-Mafarjeh, Elias, Luglio, Michele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age composition; Brazil - epidemiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Coronaviruses; Cough; Cough - etiology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diarrhea; Electronic medical records; Emergency medical care; Fever; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Pandemics - prevention & control; Patients; Pediatrics; Polymerase chain reaction; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Statistical analysis
• ISSN: 0009-9228; 1938-2707
• DOI: 10.1177/00099228221124662

Objective: To analyze clinical differences between a pediatric population with and without confirmed positive close contact for the new coronavirus, to establish the symptoms that define a population currently served in a children’s emergency room for which polymerase chain reaction (PCR) collection for SARS-COV-2 is performed, and thus, make clinical and laboratory screening more reliable and applicable in medical routine. Method: Cross-sectional study that characterized 128 children (0-17 years old) who collected PCR for SARS-COV-2 when seen in an emergency room at a private hospital between March and June 2020. Data were collected from the electronic medical record of the researched hospital. Results: Patients positive for close contact with COVID-19 had more diarrhea (P = .03) and less fever (P = .003) and coughing (P = .03). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups on gender distribution, age, isolation of other etiologic agents, chest x-ray abnormalities, or the need for hospitalization. SARS-Cov-2 PCR showed a higher positivity among patients on the close contact positive group (P < .001). Conclusion: As seen in previous research, positive SARS-CoV-2 tests are not required for the pediatric population to be diagnosed with the new coronavirus. Diarrhea should be included in those related to a high suspicion of potential SARS-CoV-2 infection, prompting nasopharyngeal PCR collection. However, fever and cough are unspecific symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 infection and should not be considered as warning signs for parents and, more importantly, for pediatricians to collect screening examinations.