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Valent F, Gentilini MA, Fateh-Moghdam P. Ricoveri con COVID-19 nei bambini nella Provincia autonoma di Trento, anno 2020. COVID-19 hospitalizations in children in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Northern Italy), year 2020. Epidemiol Prev. 2021;45(6):528-532doi: 10.19191/EP21.6.112.
Valent, F., Gentilini, M. A., & Fateh-Moghdam, P. (2021). Ricoveri con COVID-19 nei bambini nella Provincia autonoma di Trento, anno 2020. COVID-19 hospitalizations in children in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Northern Italy), year 2020. Epidemiologia e prevenzione, 45(6), 528-532. https://doi.org/10.19191/EP21.6.112
Valent, Francesca, et al. "Ricoveri con COVID-19 nei bambini nella Provincia autonoma di Trento, anno 2020." COVID-19 hospitalizations in children in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Northern Italy), year 2020. Epidemiologia e prevenzione vol. 45,6 (2021): 528-532. doi: https://doi.org/10.19191/EP21.6.112
Valent F, Gentilini MA, Fateh-Moghdam P. Ricoveri con COVID-19 nei bambini nella Provincia autonoma di Trento, anno 2020. COVID-19 hospitalizations in children in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Northern Italy), year 2020. Epidemiol Prev. 2021 Nov-Dec;45(6):528-532. doi: 10.19191/EP21.6.112. PMID: 35001597.
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Epidemiol Prev. 2021 Nov-Dec;45(6):528-532. doi: 10.19191/EP21.6.112.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in children in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Northern Italy), year 2020.

Epidemiologia e prevenzione

Francesca Valent, Maria Adalgisa Gentilini, Pirous Fateh-Moghdam

Affiliations

  1. Servizio di epidemiologia clinica e valutativa, Azienda provinciale per i servizi sanitari, Trento (Italy); [email protected].
  2. Unità di Missione semplice statistica, Azienda provinciale per i servizi sanitari, Trento (Italy).
  3. Servizio osservatorio epidemiologico, Dipartimento di prevenzione, Azienda provinciale per i servizi sanitari, Trento (Italy).

PMID: 35001597 DOI: 10.19191/EP21.6.112

Abstract

BACKGROUND: hospitalization rate of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection can be considered as an indicator of severe COVID-19 burden. In children, however, hospital admissions may overestimate such burden.

OBJECTIVES: to describe the hospitalizations with COVID-19-related discharge diagnoses in the population <18 years of age in the 545,000 inhabitants of the Autonomous Province of Trento (Trentino-Alto Adige Region, North-Eastern Italy) in year 2020.

DESIGN: hospitalization characteristics and main and secondary discharge diagnosis codes were abstracted from anonymous hospital discharge records in all cases with at least one COVID-19-specific ICD-9-CM code. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: hospitalized patients 0-17 and >=18 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: in-hospital deaths, median length of stay and cost, frequency of main discharge diagnoses.

RESULTS: from March to December 2020, 61 admissions with COVID-19-specific codes regarded patients 0-17 years and 3,811 patients >=18 years. No in-hospital deaths were observed in the younger group. Median hospital stay was not significantly different in the two groups, but cost was higher among patients >=18 years. In adult patients, more than 70% had a pneumonia or other lung or respiratory disease main discharge diagnosis; in children, they were only 6.5%. Almost half of the children admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection had a main discharge diagnosis of either trauma or encounter with the health system for procedures and aftercare (ICD-9-CM V-codes).

CONCLUSIONS: in the Province of Trento, a considerable proportion of hospitalizations of young patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection may be due to other underlying conditions requiring hospital care, supporting the hypothesis that hospitalization rate might overestimate the burden of serious COVID-19 in children.

Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Discharge diagnosis; Hospital discharge records; SARS-CoV-2

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