PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Alnajjar, Abeer A.
AU  - Dohain, Ahmed M.
AU  - Abdelmohsen, Gaser A.
AU  - Alahmadi, Turki S.
AU  - Zaher, Zaher F.
AU  - Abdelgalil, Abobakr A.
TI  - Clinical characteristics and outcomes of children with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2021.42.4.20210011
DP  - 2021 Apr 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 391--398
VI  - 42
IP  - 4
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/42/4/391.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/42/4/391.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2021 Apr 01; 42
AB  - Objectives: To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics, underlying comorbidities, and outcomes of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.Methods: In this retrospective study, we reported 62 pediatric patients (age <14 years) with confirmed COVID-19 between March 2 and July 1, 2020, at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Results: Comorbid conditions, including cardiac, neurological, respiratory, and malignant disorders, were reported in 9 patients (14.5%). The most prominent presenting complaints were fever (80.6%) and cough (48.4%). Most of our patients (80.6%) had mild disease, 11.3% had moderate disease, and 8.1% exhibited severe and critical illness. Twenty-one patients (33.9%) were hospitalized, with 4 patients (6.5%) admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, and 3 (4.8%) patients died.Conclusion: All pediatric age groups are susceptible to COVID-19, with no gender difference. COVID-19 infection may result in critical illness and even mortality in subsets of pediatric patients.