TABLE 1.
Comparison of demographics and clinical features between hospitalized children with Omicron variant and influenza A infection.
| Characteristics | Omicron (n = 471) |
Influenza A (n = 592) |
P-value |
| Age on admission | <0.001 | ||
| 0∼3y | 351 (74.5) | 142 (24.0) | |
| > 3y | 120 (25.5) | 450 (76.0) | |
| Gender | 0.111 | ||
| Male | 288 (61.1) | 390 (65.9) | |
| Female | 183 (38.9) | 202 (34.1) | |
| Length of hospital stay (day, mean ± SE)* | 4.22 ± 0.12 | 4.08 ± 0.07 | 0.290 |
| Clinical symptoms | |||
| Fever | 428 (90.9) | 574 (96.9) | <0.001 |
| peak temperature ≥ 39°C | 299 (69.9) | 493 (83.3) | <0.001 |
| Fever ≥ 5d | 65 (15.2) | 103 (17.4) | 0.110 |
| Respiratory symptoms | |||
| Cough | 348 (73.9) | 533 (90.0) | 0.012 |
| Sore throat | 54 (11.5) | 92 (15.5) | 0.055 |
| Nasal stuffiness | 86 (18.3) | 138 (23.3) | 0.045 |
| Rhinorrhea | 126 (26.8) | 213 (36.0) | 0.001 |
| Dyspnea | 69 (14.6) | 41 (6.9) | <0.001 |
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | |||
| Vomiting | 68 (14.4) | 162 (27.4) | <0.001 |
| Diarrhea | 39 (8.3) | 39 (6.6) | 0.293 |
| Poor appetite | 240 (51) | 250 (42.2) | 0.005 |
| Pneumonia (chest CT imaging) | 159/352 (45.2) | 84/306 (27.5) | <0.001 |
| Bilateral patchy shadowing | 64/159 (40.3) | 18/84 (21.4) | 0.003 |
| Unilateral patchy shadowing | 95/159 (59.7) | 66/84 (78.6) | 0.003 |
| Clinical diagnosis | |||
| Febrile seizure | 141 (29.9) | 141 (23.8) | 0.025 |
| Acute laryngitis | 214 (45.4) | 116 (19.6) | <0.001 |
| Benign acute childhood myositis | 0 (0.0) | 21 (3.5) | <0.001 |
| MIS-C▲ | 12 (2.5) | 0 (0.0) | <0.001 |
| Myocarditis | 9 (1.9) | 14 (2.4) | 0.613 |
| Liver function damage | 13 (2.8) | 7 (1.2) | 0.060 |
| Previous comorbidities† | 13 (2.8) | 9 (1.5) | 0.158 |
| Co-infection | |||
| Other respiratory viruses △ | 5/113 (4.4) | 7/471 (1.5) | 0.062 |
| Oxygen therapy | >0.999 | ||
| Nasal catheter oxygen inhalation | 97 (20.6) | 125 (21.1) | |
| Non-invasive mechanical ventilation | 3 (0.6) | 4 (0.7) | |
| Outcome | 0.587 | ||
| Cure/discharge | 469 (99.6) | 591 (99.8) | |
| Death (in-hospital mortality) | 2 (0.4) | 1 (0.2) | |
Data are n (%).
*Excluding nine COVID-19 patients and six patients with influenza A who had not cured and discharged from the hospital.
▲MIS-C: multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
†Omicron group: includes epilepsy (three cases), type 1 diabetes (two cases), congenital heart disease (two cases), hyperthyroidism (one case), autoimmune anemia (one case), cerebral palsy (one case), gastrointestinal bleeding (one case), adrenocortical hypofunction (one case) and autoimmune encephalitis (one case). Influenza A group: includes epilepsy (six cases), cerebral palsy (one case) and nephrotic syndrome (two case).
△Omicron group: includes parainfluenza virus (two cases), respiratory syncytial virus (one case), rhinovirus (two cases) and adenovirus (one case). Influenza A group: includes respiratory syncytial virus (one case), rhinovirus (four cases) and adenovirus (two case).