Clinical characteristics and burden of COVID-19 in children and adolescents in Colombia: a retrospective database analysis.

BACKGROUND

The burden of COVID-19 infections has been extensively studied in some parts of the world. However, in emerging economies and particularly in Latin America and Colombia, research is still incomplete, especially in the paediatric population. This study aims to investigate the burden of COVID-19 infections in children and adolescents in Colombia to understand the burden and outcomes of COVID-19.

METHODS

This is a retrospective database analysis of 0-17-year-old persons diagnosed with COVID-19 and given inpatient or outpatient care at a large health maintenance organisation covering 10% of the entire population from March 2020 to January 2023. Cases were confirmed by International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision codes for COVID-19 and a lab test. The incidence rates of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 persons were calculated. With a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for demographical and clinical characteristics, the factors related to developing severe or critical COVID-19 during the study period were identified.

RESULTS

Of the 76 376 COVID-19 cases included in the analysis, the mean age was 9.8 years, about 51.5% were male, 99.6% lived in urban areas and 98.9% were unvaccinated (76.9% of the cases occurred before the vaccination of this group began on 31 October 2021). Most cases (69 528, 91%) were classified as mild, 0.9% as moderate, 8% as severe and 0.1% as critical. The most prominent comorbidities were mental health-related conditions (18.9%), chronic lung disease (13.6%) and immunocompromised condition (10.6%). 28 deaths were observed, of which 22 had at least 1 comorbidity, the most frequent being chronic lung disease and mental health conditions.

CONCLUSION

Nearly 1 in 5 cases of COVID-19 was documented in children with underlying medical conditions. Our findings underscore the need to target children with comorbidities.