CLINICAL SPECTRUM OF COVID-19 AND RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERITY IN TAMIL NADU CHILDREN

Aim: To assess the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 in children and the risk factors associated for hospitalisation and admission during the pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2020 to August 2020 with children between one month and 18 years of age. Detailed information was collected including demographic data, contact history, travel history, living conditions and symptoms. Patients underwent baseline laboratory parameters and chest radiograph was done with respiratory symptoms. Results: Out of 201 children with features suggestive of COVID-19, 79 were tested positive with RT-PCR. Most common symptoms included fever in 25 (80.64%), cough in 16 (51.61%), sore throat in 10 (32.25%) and lymphadenopathy in 6 children (19.35%). On Chest X-ray, 2 cases had disseminated consolidations, 2 had interstitial pneumonia and one had disseminated nodular changes with interstitial infiltrates and ground-glass opacities. Conclusion: A milder disease pattern is seen in majority of children with COVID-19. Risk factors for PICU include specific comorbidities as diabetes mellitus, asthma, liver disease, and cardiac disease and raised inflammatory biomarkers.