NYMC Faculty Publications

Life-Threatening Complications of Influenza vs Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in US Children

Natasha B. Halasa, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Andrew J. Spieker, Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Cameron C. Young, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Samantha M. Olson, COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Margaret M. Newhams, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Justin Z. Amarin, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Kristin L. Moffitt, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Mari M. Nakamura, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Emily R. Levy, Divisions of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Vijaya L. Soma, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, New York University Grossman School of Medicine and Hassenfeld Children's Hospital, New York, New York, USA.
Rana Talj, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Scott L. Weiss, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Julie C. Fitzgerald, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Elizabeth H. Mack, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Aline B. Maddux, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Jennifer E. Schuster, Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Bria M. Coates, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Mark W. Hall, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Stephanie P. Schwartz, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Adam J. Schwarz, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC), Orange, California, USA.
Michele Kong, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Philip C. Spinella, Division of Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Laura L. Loftis, Section of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.
Gwenn E. McLaughlin, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.
Charlotte V. Hobbs, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Microbiology, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
Courtney M. Rowan, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Melania M. Bembea, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Ryan A. Nofziger, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, Ohio, USA.
Christopher J. Babbitt, Miller Children's and Women's Hospital of Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA.
Cindy Bowens, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern, Children's Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Heidi R. Flori, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Mott Children's Hospital and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Shira J. Gertz, Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, New Jersey, USA.

Author Type(s)

Faculty

Journal Title

Clinical Infectious Diseases

First Page

e280

Last Page

e290

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-8-2023

Department

Pediatrics

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Clinical differences between critical illness from influenza infection vs coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not been well characterized in pediatric patients. METHODS: We compared demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of US children (aged 8 months to 17 years) admitted to the intensive care or high-acuity unit with influenza or COVID-19. Using mixed-effects models, we assessed the odds of death or requiring life support for influenza vs COVID-19 after adjustment for age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, and underlying conditions including obesity. RESULTS: Children with influenza (n = 179) were younger than those with COVID-19 (n = 381; median, 5.2 years vs 13.8 years), less likely to be non-Hispanic Black (14.5% vs 27.6%) or Hispanic (24.0% vs 36.2%), and less likely to have ≥1 underlying condition (66.4% vs 78.5%) or be obese (21.4% vs 42.2%), and a shorter hospital stay (median, 5 days vs 7 days). They were similarly likely to require invasive mechanical ventilation (both 30.2%), vasopressor support (19.6% and 19.9%), or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (2.2% and 2.9%). Four children with influenza (2.2%) and 11 children with COVID-19 (2.9%) died. The odds of death or requiring life support in children with influenza vs COVID-19 were similar (adjusted odds ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, .78-2.15; P = .32). CONCLUSIONS: Despite differences in demographics and clinical characteristics of children with influenza or COVID-19, the frequency of life-threatening complications was similar. Our findings highlight the importance of implementing prevention measures to reduce transmission and disease severity of influenza and COVID-19.

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