Journal of Clinical Medicine (Mar 2023)
Clinical Course and Severity of COVID-19 in 940 Infants with and without Comorbidities Hospitalized in 2020 and 2021: The Results of the National Multicenter Database SARSTer-PED
- Małgorzata Pawłowska,
- Maria Pokorska-Śpiewak,
- Ewa Talarek,
- Anna Mania,
- Barbara Hasiec,
- Elżbieta Żwirek-Pytka,
- Magdalena Stankiewicz,
- Martyna Stani,
- Paulina Frańczak-Chmura,
- Leszek Szenborn,
- Izabela Zaleska,
- Joanna Chruszcz,
- Ewa Majda-Stanisławska,
- Urszula Dryja,
- Kamila Gąsiorowska,
- Magdalena Figlerowicz,
- Katarzyna Mazur-Melewska,
- Kamil Faltin,
- Przemysław Ciechanowski,
- Michał Peregrym,
- Joanna Łasecka-Zadrożna,
- Józef Rudnicki,
- Barbara Szczepańska,
- Ilona Pałyga-Bysiecka,
- Ewelina Rogowska,
- Dagmara Hudobska-Nawrot,
- Katarzyna Domańska-Granek,
- Adam Sybilski,
- Izabela Kucharek,
- Justyna Franczak,
- Małgorzata Sobolewska-Pilarczyk,
- Ernest Kuchar,
- Michał Wronowski,
- Maria Paryż,
- Bolesław Kalicki,
- Kacper Toczyłowski,
- Artur Sulik,
- Sławomira Niedźwiecka,
- Robert Flisiak,
- Magdalena Marczyńska
Affiliations
- Małgorzata Pawłowska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 85-067 Bydgoszcz, Poland
- Maria Pokorska-Śpiewak
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw; Regional Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- Ewa Talarek
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw; Regional Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- Anna Mania
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Child Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
- Barbara Hasiec
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Provincial Jan Boży Hospital in Lublin, 20-400 Lublin, Poland
- Elżbieta Żwirek-Pytka
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Provincial Jan Boży Hospital in Lublin, 20-400 Lublin, Poland
- Magdalena Stankiewicz
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Provincial Jan Boży Hospital in Lublin, 20-400 Lublin, Poland
- Martyna Stani
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Provincial Jan Boży Hospital in Lublin, 20-400 Lublin, Poland
- Paulina Frańczak-Chmura
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Provincial Jan Boży Hospital in Lublin, 20-400 Lublin, Poland
- Leszek Szenborn
- Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland
- Izabela Zaleska
- Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland
- Joanna Chruszcz
- Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland
- Ewa Majda-Stanisławska
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Łódź, Poland
- Urszula Dryja
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Łódź, Poland
- Kamila Gąsiorowska
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Łódź, Poland
- Magdalena Figlerowicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Child Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
- Katarzyna Mazur-Melewska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Child Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
- Kamil Faltin
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Child Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
- Przemysław Ciechanowski
- Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Regional Hospital in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland
- Michał Peregrym
- Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Regional Hospital in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland
- Joanna Łasecka-Zadrożna
- Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Regional Hospital in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland
- Józef Rudnicki
- Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Regional Hospital in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland
- Barbara Szczepańska
- Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-369 Kielce, Poland
- Ilona Pałyga-Bysiecka
- Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-369 Kielce, Poland
- Ewelina Rogowska
- Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-369 Kielce, Poland
- Dagmara Hudobska-Nawrot
- Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-369 Kielce, Poland
- Katarzyna Domańska-Granek
- Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-369 Kielce, Poland
- Adam Sybilski
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland
- Izabela Kucharek
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland
- Justyna Franczak
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 85-067 Bydgoszcz, Poland
- Małgorzata Sobolewska-Pilarczyk
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 85-067 Bydgoszcz, Poland
- Ernest Kuchar
- Department of Pediatrics with Clinical Assessment Unit, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- Michał Wronowski
- Department of Pediatrics with Clinical Assessment Unit, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- Maria Paryż
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Nephrology and Allergology, Military Institute of Medicine, 01-755 Warsaw, Poland
- Bolesław Kalicki
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Nephrology and Allergology, Military Institute of Medicine, 01-755 Warsaw, Poland
- Kacper Toczyłowski
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Białystok, Poland
- Artur Sulik
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Białystok, Poland
- Sławomira Niedźwiecka
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pomeranian Center of Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis in Gdańsk, 80-214 Gdańsk, Poland
- Robert Flisiak
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Białystok, Poland
- Magdalena Marczyńska
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw; Regional Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12072479
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 12,
no. 7
p. 2479
Abstract
This study aimed to analyze the differences in severity and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in infants hospitalized in Poland in 2021, when the dominance of variants of concern (VOCs) alpha and delta was reported, compared to 2020, when original (wild) SARS-CoV-2 was dominant (III–IV vs. I–II waves of the pandemic, respectively). In addition, the influence of the presence of comorbidities on the clinical course of COVID-19 in infants was studied. This multicenter study, based on the pediatric part of the national SARSTer database (SARSTer-PED), included 940 infants with COVID-19 diagnosed between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, from 13 Polish inpatient centers. An electronic questionnaire, which addressed epidemiological and clinical data, was used. The number of hospitalized infants was significantly higher in 2021 than in 2020 (651 vs. 289, respectively). The analysis showed similar lengths of infant hospitalization in 2020 and 2021, but significantly more children were hospitalized for more than 7 days in 2020 (p p < 0.0001). Severe and critical conditions were significantly more common among children with comorbidities. More infants were hospitalized during the period of VOCs dominance, especially the delta variant, compared to the period of wild strain dominance, even though indications for hospitalization did not include asymptomatic patients during that period. The course of COVID-19 was mostly mild, characterized mainly by fever and respiratory symptoms. Comorbidities, particularly from the cardiovascular system and prematurity, were associated with a more severe course of the disease in infants.
Keywords
- coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- infants
- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
- variants of concern (VOCs)
