Clinical and Laboratory Profile, Management and Outcome of Pediatric Patients with COVID-19 Infection Admitted at the Zamboanga City Medical Center

Objective: To determine the clinical profile, management and outcome of pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection admitted at the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) from March 2020 to December 2022. Methodology: This was a retrospective cohort study which enrolled patients 19 years old and below with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted at the ZCMC. Charts were retrieved and uploaded on a database. Demographic and clinical information were gathered including history of exposure to COVID-19, history of COVID-19 vaccination, comorbidities, clinical manifestations, laboratory examination, medications and clinical outcome. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: There were 145 evaluable patients. The mean age was 8.4 years with 40% aged less than 5 years old. Majority were males (58.62%). Half (50.34%) had no known exposure to COVID-19. None received COVID-19 vaccine. Ninety-seven (66.90%) patients were underweight. Sixty-nine (47.59%) patients were asymptomatic, 30 (20.69%) had mild infection while 24 (16.55%) had severe to critical illness. There were 5 (3.45%) cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The most common symptoms were fever, vomiting/nausea, cough and shortness of breath. The most common chest radiograph findings were bilateral lung opacities. Majority of the patients received antibiotics (68.97%). Other medications given included corticosteroids (14.48%), intravenous immunoglobulin (3.45%), remdesivir (4.83%) and tocilizumab (5.52%). The mortality rate was 11.72%. Conclusion: Pediatric COVID-19 in Southwestern Mindanao affects all age groups. Majority of hospitalized patients were asymptomatic or had mild infection. Fever was the most common manifestation. Antibiotic use was high. Mortality rate was 11.72%.