CLINICAL AND LABORATORY CHARACTERISTICS OF SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION IN CHILDREN

Abstract

The article discusses a study conducted to assess clinical and laboratory indicators of COVID19 infection in children. The study included 75 children under the age of 18, all of whom tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA in nasopharyngeal samples. The patients were divided into two groups based on disease severity: Group I comprised 49 (65.3%) patients with moderate COVID-19, and Group II consisted of 26 (34.7%) patients with severe COVID-19. Examination methods included anamnestic, clinical, instrumental, and laboratory studies (general and biochemical blood tests, and determination of inflammation markers such as ferritin, fibrinogen, and D-dimer). The most common symptoms among the children examined were fever (66 (88.0%)) and cough (74 (98.7%)). Results indicated that the disease course in children is more favorable than in adults. Laboratory studies conducted in children with COVID-19 (PCR) revealed a tendency towards lymphocytosis and thrombocytopenia, as well as increased levels of ESR, CRP, ferritin, D-dimer, and fibrinogen in the blood. Intergroup comparisons showed higher levels of ferritin, Ddimer, and fibrinogen in Group II compared to Group I. Measuring levels of ferritin, D-dimer, and fibrinogen is recommended for early diagnosis and disease monitoring in children with a positive COVID-19 (PCR) reaction, depending on the severity of the illness.