RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 COVID-19 in children ranging from asymptomatic to a multi-system inflammatory disease JF Saudi Medical Journal JO Saudi Med J FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City SP 299 OP 305 DO 10.15537/smj.2021.42.3.20200625 VO 42 IS 3 A1 Walaa Shahin A1 Walaa Rabie A1 Osama Alyossof A1 Mohammed Alasiri A1 Mohamed Alfaki A1 Elamin Mahmoud A1 Muwaffak Hijazi A1 Huda El Faraidi A1 Hassan Alahmari YR 2021 UL http://smj.org.sa/content/42/3/299.abstract AB Objectives: To identify clinical and laboratory characteristics of the Saudi children with confirmed COVID-19.Methods: Eighty-eight children (0-14 years) with COVID-19 who were admitted to Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from April to June 2020 were recruited.Results: Mean age was 5.74 ± 4.7 years with 41 (49.4%) males and 42 (50.6%) females. The length of hospital stay (LOS) ranged from 1 to 17 days. The main source of infection was infected family members. Mean values of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum ferritin, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were noticeably above normal. Degree of severity and length of stay was significantly correlated with lymphopenia (r= -0.36; p=0.001), whereas it was positively correlated with absolute neutrophil count and with high inflammatory markers, such as CRP, LDH, and others.Conclusions: Identifying the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the Saudi children with confirmed COVID-19 will improve understanding of this disease’s presentation and will help put rapid and proper management strategies into place to face this pandemic. A high index of suspicion is needed for cases presenting with multi-system inflammatory disease, which represented 5.7% of the included study population.