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KMID : 1161220240670010001
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Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
2024 Volume.67 No. 1 p.1 ~ p.16
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COVID-19 among infants: key clinical features and remaining controversies
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Nevio Cimolai
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Abstract
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Infants aged <1 year represent a seemingly more susceptiblepediatric subsetfor infections.Despite this, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has not been proven as more serious in this age group (outside the very early neonatal period) than in others. Indeed, a considerable number of asymptomatic infections have been recorded,and the symptoms and morbidity associated with COVID19 differ minimally from those of other respiratory viral infections. Whether due to an abundance of caution or truly reduced susceptibility, infections in infants have not raised the same profile as those in other age groups.
In addition to direct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 diagnostic tests, laboratory markers thatdifferentiate COVID-19 from other viral infections lack specificity in infants. Gastrointestinal presentations are common, and the neurological complications of infection mirror those of other respiratory viral infections. Therehave been relatively few reports of infant deaths. Under appropriate precautions, breastfeeding in the context ofmaternal infections has been associated with tangible but infrequent complications. Vaccination during pregnancyprovides protection against infection in infants, at least in the early months of life. Multi-inflammatory syndrome inchildren and multi-inflammatory syndrome in neonates are commonly cited as variants of COVID-19; however,their clinical definitions remain controversial. Similarly, reliable definitions of long COVID in the infant group arecontroversial. This narrative review examines the key clinical and laboratory features of COVID-19 in infants and identifies several areas of science awaiting further clarification.
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KEYWORD
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COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Infant, Child, Epidemiology, Infection
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