Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Pediatric and Adult Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Shenzhen, China

Objective: Here we aimed to investigate the difference in clinical characteristics and outcomes between pediatric and adult patients with COVID-19.

Methods: A total of 333 consecutive patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection treated in the departments of Internal medicine of Shenzhen Third People's Hospital from January 11 ^th to February 10 ^th, 2020 were included. The data were obtained from electronic medical records. The epidemiological data, clinical characteristics, length of hospital stays, and outcomes of pediatric and adult patients were compared.

Results: Compared with adult patients, pediatric patients had a shorter time of symptom onset to hospitalization than adults [median time, 1 ( IQR, 1.0-1.0) d vs. 3 ( IQR, 2.0-6.0) d, P < 0.001], milder or fewer symptoms, less severe chest CT findings. The clinical severity classification of children was less severe than adults. Up to 15 ^th March, the end of the follow-up, 33 (100%) children and 292 (97.3%) adult patients had been discharged from hospital. Only 2 (0.7%) adult patients died, with an overall case mortality of 0.6%. The median length of hospital stay of pediatric patients was shorter than that of adult patients [19 (95% CI: 16.6-21.4) d vs. 21 (95% CI: 19.9-22.1) d, P = 0.024].

Conclusion: Pediatric patients with COVID-19 had milder or less clinical symptoms, less evident pulmonary imaging changes, better prognosis, and shorter length of hospital stay.