RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 versus other upper respiratory tract infections in pediatric patients
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 74
OP 79
DO 10.15537/smj.2023.44.1.20220439
VO 44
IS 1
A1 Manar M. Alzahrani
A1 Abdulaziz K. Alaraifi
A1 Lama H. Aldosari
A1 Leen O. Hijazi
A1 Fahad A. Alsaab
YR 2023
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/44/1/74.abstract
AB Objectives: To explore the differences between COVID-19 and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in the pediatric population, emphasizing smell and taste disturbances.Methods: A case-control study included 468 patients, 234 with COVID-19 (cases) and 234 with URTI (controls) at a tertiary hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2020-2021. Patients with bacterial URTI, lower tract respiratory infections, and speech or developmental delays were excluded. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Analysis System, 9.2 version. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant.Results: The male-to-female ratio was almost equal, with a mean age of 9.90±2.34. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that a change in taste significantly increases the probability of COVID-19 by 21.98 times. On the other hand, sore throat (81.5%), dyspnea (63.5%), nasal obstruction (72.7%), and otalgia significantly (74.8%) decrease the likelihood of COVID-19.Conclusion: Taste disturbances increase the probability of COVID-19 infections, whereas sore throat, dyspnea, nasal obstruction, and otalgia increase the likelihood of other URTIs. The described differences might aid physicians in their differential diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic.