Almost 40 percent of the SARS-CoV-2-positive pediatric patients with hospitalization were asymptomatic<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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WEDNESDAY, May 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Reported hospitalization rates overestimate the burden of COVID-19 in children, according to a study published online May 19 in Hospital Pediatrics<\/em>.<\/p>\n Lauren E. Kushner, M.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues characterized the severity of illness and likelihood of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection as the cause of hospitalization among pediatric patients. Participants had positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal testing or were diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and were hospitalized between May 10, 2020, and Feb. 10, 2021. Hospitalizations were categorized as likely or unlikely to be caused by SARS-CoV-2 and disease severity was classified.<\/p>\n The researchers found that 39.3 percent of the 117 patients with hospitalization were asymptomatic, while 28.2, 7.7, and 12.8 percent had mild-to-moderate disease, severe illness, and critical illness, respectively. Twelve percent of the patients had MIS-C. Of the admissions, 45 percent were classified as being unlikely to be caused by SARS-CoV-2.<\/p>\n “It’s really important that we distinguish between children who are hospitalized with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and those hospitalized for COVID-19 disease,” a coauthor said in a statement. “Our goal is to make sure we have accurate data on how sick children are getting. If we rely on hospitals’ positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, we are inflating by about twofold the actual risk of hospitalization from the disease in kids.”<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n