Screening of COVID-19 in outpatient children with cancer or solid organ transplantation: preliminary report

Abstract

Clinical presentation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in pediatric immunosuppressed patients is unknown. Emerging data describe a milder or asymptomatic course in children compared with adults in this scenario. We present the seroprevalence and clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 in a prospective cohort of 114 immunosuppressed children and adolescents from three groups: kidney transplantation, liver transplantation, and cancer patients. Among the thirty-five (30.7%) patients who had a positive serological test for SARS-CoV-2, 77% did not report previous symptoms and none of them developed any complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after 30 or more days of follow-up. Among those who were symptomatic, diarrhea, fever, and cough were the most common findings.Conclusion: Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection is high among immunosuppressed children and adolescents. COVID-19 has a mild or asymptomatic course in most of these patients. What is Known: • The number of immunosuppressed patients with coronavirus disease 2019 is increasing. • Viral infections have the potential for greater severity in immunocompromised children. What is New: • Seroprevalence for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in immunocompromised pediatric patients was 31%. • A quarter of the serology-positive patients reported mild symptoms and none of them developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with coronavirus disease 2019.

Keywords: COVID-19; Kidney transplantation; Leukemia; Liver transplantation; Oncology; Pediatrics; SARS-CoV-2.