Coronavirus global pandemic; An Overview of Current Findings among pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND: The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic has been emerged as a cardinal public health problem. Children have their own specific clinical features; notably, they seem to be escaping the severe respiratory adverse effects. The international scientific community is rapidly carrying out studies, driving to the need to reassess knowledge of the disease and therapeutic strategies. AIM: To assess the characteristics of COVID-19 infected children worldwide of all ages, from neonates to children and adolescents, and how they differ from their adult counterparts. SEARCH STRATEGY: An electronic search in PubMed was conducted, using combinations of the following keywords: coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, children. The search included all types of articles written in English between first of January 2019 until fifteenth of August 2020. RESULTS: The search identified 266 relevant articles. Children were mainly within family clusters of cases and have relatively milder clinical presentation compared with adults; children were reported to have better outcomes with a significantly lower mortality rate. Cough and fever were the most common symptoms while pneumonia was the cardinal respiratory manifestation of infected children. Laboratory results and thoracic imaging give varying results. CONCLUSIONS: Children were mainly family cluster cases and usually presented with mild infection, although cases presented with multisystem inflammatory syndrome are becoming more apparent. Studies determining why the manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are so variable may help to gain a better understanding of the disease and accelerate development of vaccines and therapies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.