Impact of Weight on Severity of Hospital Course in Children Admitted With COVID-19

Abstract

Objective. To describe the impact of weight on length of stay (LOS) and oxygen requirement among hospitalized children with COVID-19. Methods. This is a retrospective review of 153 children admitted for COVID-19 from March 2020 to October 2021. Body mass index (BMI) percentile and weight-for-age (WFA) percentile were used to determine weight status for children ≥2 years and <2 years respectively. Results. We found 2 distinct patterns for patients <2 years and ≥2 years; The likelihood of needing oxygen and LOS ≥ 5 days was higher for children ≥2 years with BMI ≥ 85th percentile ( P = .0415 and P = .0197). Among those <2 years, mean WFA percentile decreased with increasing oxygen need ( P = .0325). There was a negative correlation between LOS and WFA percentile ( r = −.31, P = .0123). Conclusion. It is important to stratify patients’ risk according to their age, BMI and WFA percentile during hospitalization for COVID 19.