Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 8, 2021

Underlying Medical Conditions Associated With Severe COVID-19 Illness Among Children

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  • 29% of pediatric US COVID-19 patients aged ≤18 years (n=43,465) had at least one underlying medical condition, according to an analysis of data collected from more than 800 US hospitals from March 2020 to January 2021.  The most common diagnosed conditions were asthma (10%), neurodevelopmental disorders (4%), anxiety and fear-related disorders (3%), depressive disorders (3%), and obesity (3%). Risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization (comparing children with mild disease versus hospitalized children) was highest among those with type 1 diabetes (RR=5) and obesity (RR=3). Once hospitalized, risk of severe COVID-19 (ICU admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, or death) was highest among those with type 1 diabetes (RR=2) and cardiac and circulatory congenital anomalies (RR=2). [EDITORIAL NOTE: This study did not include children without COVID-19 or children with COVID-19 who were not hospitalized and therefore it is not possible to determine whether the distribution of underlying conditions in hospitalized children differed from these other groups.]

Kompaniyets et al. (June 7, 2021). Underlying Medical Conditions Associated With Severe COVID-19 Illness Among Children. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11182