An Overview of the Signs and Symptoms of Pediatric Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19

Introduction: Clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of Covid-19 in children are more diverse than in adults. The aim of this study is to determine the clinical and laboratory findings of covid-19 in hospitalized children. Materials and methods This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 57 children aged 1 month to 12 years who were admitted with Covid-19, and their diagnosis were confirmed by PCR method from March 2020 to November 2021 in Mousavi Hospital of Zanjan, Iran. Demographic data, clinical and laboratory findings of patients were recorded, and relevant information was analyzed. Results In this study, 57 children with Covid-19, PCR positive, including 26 boys (45.6%) and 31 girls (54.4%) were evaluated. The most common clinical findings were fever, cough , respiratory distress, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures with fever in 45 (78.9%), 30 (52.6 ),24 (42.1%) , 21 (36.8%) ,18 (31.5) and 6 (10.5%) patients respectively. The most common laboratory findings were increased AST and ALT in 50 (87.7%) and 24 (42.1%) patients. Increased CRP and ESR were found in 21 (36.8%) and 15 (26.3%) patients, respectively. Lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia were reported in 14 (24.5%) and 4 (7.07%) patients, respectively. Conclusion The most common clinical manifestations of covid-19 in children were fever and cough. The increase of liver enzymes, especially AST, was significant in hospitalized children, while lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia were not common in affected children.