Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics of study children (aged under 5 years) admitted with severe or very severe pneumonia to Kilifi County Hospital, Kilifi, Kenya 2007–2019, by HCoV type (n=314).
| Variable | NL63
(n=74) |
OC43
(n=129) |
229E
(n=99) |
HCoVs
coinfections (n=12) |
Total
(n=314) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Age (months) | Median (IQR) | 8 (3-20) | 7 (2-15) | 8 (2-19) | 5.5 (2-8.5) | 7 (2-16) |
| Age categories | 0–11 months | 49 (66.2) | 87 (67.4) | 61 (61.6) | 12 (91.7) | 208 (66.2) |
| 12–23 months | 11 (14.9) | 24 (18.6) | 22 (22.2) | 0 (0.00) | 57 (18.2) | |
| 24–35 months | 11 (14.9) | 8 (6.2) | 9 (9.1) | 1 (8.3) | 29 (9.2) | |
| 36–59 months | 3 (4.0) | 10 (7.8) | 7 (7.1) | 0 (0.00) | 20 (6.4) | |
| Sex | Female | 22 (29.7) | 60 (46.5) | 36 (36.4) | 6 (50.0) | 124 (39.5) |
| Male | 52 (70.2) | 69 (53.5) | 63 (63.6) | 6 (50.0) | 190 (60.5) | |
| Pneumonia status | Severe | 49 (66.2) | 101 (78.3) | 76 (76.8) | 10 (83.3) | 236 (75.2) |
| Very severe | 25 (33.8) | 28 (21.7) | 23 (23.2) | 2 (16.7) | 78 (24.8) | |
| Clinical
presentation |
Cough | 55 (74.3) | 112 (86.8) | 85 (85.9) | 12 (100.00) | 264 (84.1) |
| Difficulty breathing | 67 (90.5) | 118 (91.5) | 94 (95.0) | 10 (83.3) | 289 (92.1) | |
| Fever * | 43 (58.1) | 75 (58.1) | 54 (54.6) | 10 (83.3) | 182 (58.0) | |
| Prostratration or
unconscious |
17 (23.0) | 18 (14.0) | 14 (14.1) | 1 (8.3) | 50 (15.9) | |
| Chest Indrawing | 65 (87.8) | 122 (94.6) | 89 (89.9) | 12 (100.00) | 288 (91.7) | |
| Wheeze | 7 (9.5) | 16 (12.5) | 18 (18.2) | 0 (0.0) | 41 (13.1) | |
| Crackle | 27 (36.5) | 44 (34.1) | 40 (40.4) | 3 (25.0) | 114 (36.3) | |
| Nasal flaring | 40 (54.1) | 66 (51.2) | 54 (54.6) | 6 (50.0) | 166 (52.9) | |
| Shock * | 12 (16.2) | 10 (7.8) | 6 (6.1) | 0 (0.00) | 28 (8.9) | |
| Hypoxemia (O
2
<90%) |
12 (16.2) | 14 (10.9) | 13 (13.1) | 1 (8.3) | 40 (12.7) | |
| Cyanosis | 1 (1.4) | 1 (0.8) | 1 (1.0) | 0 (0.00) | 3 (1.0) | |
| Inability to drink/
feed |
5 (6.8) | 11 (8.5) | 7 (7.1) | 0 (0.00) | 23 (7.3) | |
| Vomits everything | 7 (9.5) | 6 (4.7) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 13 (4.14) | |
| Duration of
hospital stay |
Mean (SD) | 6.3 (6.8) | 5.7 (6.1) | 5.2 (5.5) | 3.8 (2.3) | 5.6 (6.0) |
| Median (IQR) | 4 (3-6) | 3 (2-7) | 3 (2-6) | 6.5 (3-10) | 4 (2-6) | |
| Outcomes | HDU * | 27 (36.5) | 31 (24.0) | 22 (22.2) | 2 (16.7) | 82 (26.1) |
| Died | 10 (13.5) | 10 (7.8) | 7 (7.1) | 0 (0.00) | 27 (8.6) | |
* Fever is defined as axillary temperature ≥37.5°C, shock is defined as capillary refill of >3 seconds, temperature gradient or weak pulse volume. HDU indicates study participants who were critically ill and were transferred from the general ward to the high dependency unit.
** The high proportions of cough, difficulty breathing, chest indrawing, hypoxemia, prostratration or unconscious and inability to drink/feed among HCoV positive cases should be interpreted with caution because these clinical signs form part of our study’s eligibility criteria.