Table 4.
Comparison of the clinical presentation of COVID-19 in children between the 1st and 2nd waves of the pandemic.
| Clinical Factor | Patients Diagnosed between March and August 2020 N = 465 |
Patients Diagnosed between September and December 2020 N = 818 |
p | OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (months) Median (IQR) |
102.0 (44.0; 154.7) | 53.0 (9.0; 156.0) | <0.0001 | 0.99 (0.99–0.99) |
| Sex (male/female) | 223 (48)/242 (52) | 427 (52)/391 (48) | 0.14 | - |
| Hospitalized | 321 (69) | 687 (84) | <0.0001 | 2.29 (1.74–3.01) |
| Duration of hospitalization (days), median (IQR) | 1 (1; 3) | 3 (1; 6) | <0.0001 | 1.07 (1.04–1.11) |
| Household contact with an infected family member | 360 (78) | 355 (43) | <0.0001 | 0.39 (0.31–0.49) |
| Confirmed other contact | 5 (1) | 43 (5) | 0.0001 | - |
| International travel during the 14 days before symptom onset | 31 (7) | 12 (1) | <0.0001 | 0.20 (0.10–0.40) |
| Comorbidities | 70 (15) | 198 (24) | 0.0001 | 1.72 (1.27–2.31) |
| CLINICAL PRESENTATION | ||||
| Asymptomatic disease course | 167 (36) | 104 (13) | <0.0001 | 0.26 (0.19–0.34) |
| Pneumonia related to COVID-19 | 42 (9) | 114 (14) | 0.009 | 1.63 (1.12–2.38) |
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | 58 (12) | 237 (29) | <0.0001 | 2.87 (2.10–3.94) |
| Fever | 152 (33) | 445 (54) | <0.0001 | 2.30 (1.81–2.93) |
| Cough | 109 (23) | 308 (38) | <0.0001 | 1.86 (1.43–2.41) |
| Rhinitis | 79 (17) | 260 (32) | <0.0001 | 2.17 (1.63–2.89) |
| Weakness | 68 (15) | 237 (29) | <0.0001 | 2.25 (1.66–3.03) |
| Diarrhea | 40 (9) | 151 (18) | <0.0001 | 2.27 (1.57–3.29) |
| Headache | 39 (8) | 102 (12) | 0.02 | 1.48 (1.01–2.19) |
| Sore throat | 41 (9) | 73 (9) | 0.94 | - |
| Anosmia | 45 (10) | 59 (7) | 0.12 | - |
| Vomiting | 19 (4) | 92 (11) | <0.0001 | 2.74 (1.66–4.52) |
| Abdominal pain | 18 (4) | 100 (12) | <0.0001 | 3.16 (1.91-5.25) |
| Loss of appetite | 9 (2) | 84 (10) | <0.0001 | 6.51 (3.24-13.09) |
| Muscle pain | 26 (6) | 70 (9) | 0.05 | - |
| Dyspnea | 19 (4) | 57 (7) | 0.03 | - |
| Rash | 20 (4) | 50 (6) | 0.17 | - |
| Chest pain | 13 (3) | 34 (4) | 0.21 | - |
| Conjunctivitis | 7 (2) | 18 (2) | 0.38 | - |
| Seizures | 3 (1) | 21 (3) | 0.01 | - |
Data are presented as a number (%) unless otherwise indicated. CI—confidence interval and OR—odds ratio.