Coronavirus Disease in Children: A Single-Center Study from Western Saudi Arabia

Rafat M Mosalli; Sumayyah Ahmed Nezar Kobeisy; Nawaf M Al-Dajani; May Abu Ateeg; Mostafa A Ahmed; Wael M Meer; Hussain Y Al-Saeedi; Saleh A Al-Harbi

doi:10.1155/2021/9918056

Coronavirus Disease in Children: A Single-Center Study from Western Saudi Arabia

Int J Pediatr. 2021 Jul 27:2021:9918056. doi: 10.1155/2021/9918056. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Rafat M Mosalli^{1

2}, Sumayyah Ahmed Nezar Kobeisy³, Nawaf M Al-Dajani^{2

4}, May Abu Ateeg², Mostafa A Ahmed², Wael M Meer², Hussain Y Al-Saeedi², Saleh A Al-Harbi^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Pediatrics, International Medical Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Doctor Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Introduction: Local data in Saudi Arabia regarding pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection is limited. This study is aimed at adding insight regarding the effect of the novel coronavirus on pediatric patients by studying the presentation, laboratory parameters, and disposition of SARS-CoV-2-infected pediatric patients in one center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methodology. A retrospective study was conducted at the International Medical Center (IMC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to assess features of pediatric patients admitted with COVID-19 from April 2020 to September 2020.

Results: A total of 43 patients were found to meet the study inclusion criteria. The most common presenting symptom was fever (53.5%) in study participants followed by complaints of cough, runny nose, and shortness of breath (37.2%). Lymphocytopenia was evident among 60% of those studied. Elevated C-Reactive Protein was remarkable in 24.9%. More than half of those (53.5%) studied required only supportive treatment.

Conclusion: COVID-19 disease for the most part is mild in children with a varying clinical picture and nonspecific laboratory parameters. Further, large-scale national-based studies are needed to help in the early identification of pediatric cases at risk of complication due to COVID-19 infection hence providing proper and timely management, identifying population-specific disease pattern and perhaps targeted immunization.