CLINICAL FEATURES OF THE NEW CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN CHILDREN
Authors:   Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), Tomsk, Russia, Deeva E.V. , Kamaltynova E.M. ,   Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), Tomsk, Russia, Deev I.A. ,   Central Scientific and Research Institute for Organization and Informatization of Healthcare, Moscow, Russia, Timoshina E.L. ,   Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), Tomsk, Russia, Chasovskih J.P. ,   Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), Tomsk, Russia, Medvedeva L.M. ,   Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), Tomsk, Russia, Shakurina O.V. ,   Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), Tomsk, Russia
Published: October 2022

Currently it is about impossible to discuss whether children and adolescents carry the infectious process caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus only in a mild and asymptomatic form. Ambiguous conclusions can be drawn from the reviewed publications of a number of recent studies in which children and adolescents with complicated course of the new coronavirus infection were under observation. More and more relevant are reports from scientists around the Globe about somatic symptoms that persist after the new coronavirus infection. The purpose of the study was to summarize and analyze the widely available data on the clinical features of the new coronavirus infection in children and adolescents in Russia and worldwide. The bibliographical research was carried out in the reviewed periodicals’ databases as follows: PubMed®, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, eLIBRARY, and CyberLeninka. The keywords for the search were as follows: COVID-19, children, clinical features, clinical symptoms, post COVID syndrome, long-term symptoms after SARS-CoV-2, physical and mental health, new coronavirus infection, clinical manifestations, cognitive impairment. The reviewed period of publications screened: 2020 to 2022 (to date). In total 152 sources were analyzed, from which 60 most representative studies were selected, that in its turn provide data on the clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 in children during different periods of the disease, starting with the onset of the disease in different age groups. Children are as vulnerable to the SARS-CoV-2 infection as adults but more frequently suffer from the disease in mild forms. The main clinical manifestations during the acute period of COVID-19 in children are as follows: fever, respiratory symptoms (rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, cough, shortness of breath), gastrointestinal manifestations (nausea/vomiting, diarrhea), signs of sensory impairment (anosmia, ageusia), arthralgia/myalgia, weakness, fatigue. At the same time the new coronavirus infection can rapidly progress in a severe/life-threatening form in some children that would require intensive care and respiratory support. In addition, the aggravated comorbid background in the anamnesis of severe/critical cases has a significant value. The cardiological and neurological pathology has a special prognostic value as well. A number of publications have proven the indisputable fact of long-term COVID-19 symptoms in children. According to a number of studies more than 70% of those who recovered from COVID-19 complain of one or more symptoms after the end of the acute period of the disease; in some cases, these complaints can persist for up to 10 weeks, and even up to 6 to 7 months after the recovery (in a number of cases described). The prospect for the in-depth study of the course and consequences of COVID-19 in childhood will provide an opportunity to obtain a clear view on the most frequent clinical features of the disease, factors predisposing to the development of severe/critical/life-threatening conditions, and would allow to develop the clear-cut treatment and prevention algorithms.