Clinical-epidemiological aspects of children admitted for suspected COVID-19 in Camagüey

Abstract

Introduction: in Cuba, the surveillance and active search for COVID-19 confirming cases and their contacts are actions still performing at the community, and later keep their follow-up at the health care services organized in the national territory. These actions at pediatric ages are a health authorities concern. Objective: to describe the behavior of the main clinical-epidemiological variables of children treated at the "Villa Azucarera" field hospital in Camagüey, from March 4 to April 17, 2021. Method: a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 287 patients admitted to the hospital with diagnostic criteria of suspected COVID-19 from different health areas in the province. The following variables were analyzed: age, sex, epidemiological criteria, RT-PCR result, clinical criteria and diagnosis at discharge in cases that were negative to the confirmatory test. Results: twenty nine patients of the total (10.1 %) were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The contacts of confirmed cases (43.2%) were predominant. Rhinorrhea was the most frequent symptom (13, 44.8%). Common cold (53.9%) and non-specific febrile syndrome (15.1%) were the most frequent diagnoses in negative patients. Conclusions: age and sex do not show significant differences between suspected and confirmed cases. Clinical manifestations are similar in both groups with predominance of fever and high respiratory symptoms, although other digestive and neurological manifestations are described. Close contact with confirmed cases is the main epidemiological factor related to the diagnosis of the disease.

Keywords

• epidemiología
• sars-cov-2
• covid-19
• niños sospechosos
• infecciones respiratorias
• camagüey