Introduction
Since 2019, the global community has been grappling with the widespread impact of Covid-19, which has brought immense challenges to healthcare system worldwide. SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing Covid-19 was detected in respiratory samples obtained from patients diagnosed with pneumonia who later experienced respiratory failure (Du et al., 2020). The cases under examination were categorized as either symptomatic or asymptomatic, with only those in the symptomatic group exhibiting symptoms like fever, cold, flu, malaise, and requiring subsequent hospitalization. Asymptomatic cases were defined as individuals without any apparent clinical signs or symptoms. It’s worth noting that the absence of symptoms did not serve as a parameter for evaluating the severity of the cases.
As the disease has been officially classified as a pandemic, a multitude of cases documenting the clinical manifestations have emerged, including a significant number of children with confirmed COVID-19 requiring hospitalization. Among the individuals who succumbed to COVID-19, a noteworthy proportion were identified to have preexisting conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and, in certain instances, cardiovascular diseases, which could have potentially weakened their immune responses. In contrast, these comorbidities were relatively rare among the pediatric population, suggesting a more robust immune reaction to the virus (Weisberg SP et al., 2021).
Studies have indicated that children and young adults are less prone to experiencing severe COVID-19 outcomes. Both medical reports and a growing body of cases indicate that the infection rate is comparable between adults and children. However, children tend to experience milder forms of the disease, with a low case fatality rate (CFR) of less than 0.1%. Additionally, a case series involving a total of four infants born to mothers with COVID-19 found that none of the three infants tested positive for the virus or exhibited clinical symptoms, suggesting a minimal likelihood of vertical transmission of the virus (Chen Y et al., 2020).
The present epidemiological and clinical data related to pediatric patients affected by COVID-19 do not fully satisfy our need for a deeper comprehension of viral infections. Due to the limited availability of extensive studies on risk factors for COVID-19 in children, our objective is to compile and assess existing data to pinpoint these risk factors. This information will prove valuable for healthcare professionals as they address the consequences of viral infections.