Antoni Soriano-Arandes, Alvaro Ballesteros, Cinta Moraleda, Mercedes de la Torre, Serena Villaverde, Cristina Calvo, Francisco Javier Sanz-Santaeufemia, Cristina Epalza, R. J. González, Olaf Neth, Alicia Hernanz, Jose Antonio Alonso, Carlos Grasa, María Bernardino, Isabel Romero, Alfredo Tagarro, María Luisa Navarro, Lourdes Calleja, Elena Cobos-Carrascosa, Blanca Herrero, Paula Vidal, María José Mellado, Ana Isabel Menasalvas, María Luz García, Juan Miguel Mesa, Arantxa Berzosa, Jaime Carrasco-Colom, Susana Melendo, Paula Rodríguez-Molino, Rosa Batista, Jana Rizo, María Penín, María Urretavizcaya-Martínez, Sara Villanueva-Medina, María de Ceano-Vivas, Itziar Astigarraga, Rosa Pino, and María Isabel Iglesias-Bouzas
Background: We aimed to identify the spectrum of disease in children with COVID-19, and the risk factors for admission in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs).Methods: We conducted a multicentre, prospective study of children with SARS-CoV-2 infection in 76 Spanish hospitals. We included children with COVID-19 or multi-inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) younger than 18 years old, attended during the first year of the pandemic.Results: We enrolled 1 200 children. A total of 666 (55.5%) were hospitalized, and 123 (18.4%) required admission to PICU. Most frequent major clinical syndromes in the cohort were: mild syndrome (including upper respiratory tract infection and flu-like syndrome, skin or mucosae problems and asymptomatic), 44.8%; bronchopulmonary syndrome (including pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma flare), 18.5%; fever without a source, 16.2%; MIS-C, 10.6%; and gastrointestinal syndrome, 10%. In hospitalized children, the proportions were: 28.5%, 25.7%, 16.5%, 19.1% and 10.2%, respectively. Risk factors associated with PICU admission were MIS-C (odds ratio [OR]: 37.5,95% CI 22.7 to 57.8), moderate or severe liver disease (OR: 9,95% CI 1.6 to 47.6), chronic cardiac disease (OR: 4.8,95% CI 1.8 to 13) and asthma or recurrent wheezing (OR: 2.8,95% CI 1.3 to 5.8). However, asthmatic children were admitted into the PICU due to MIS-C or pneumonia, not due to asthma flare. Conclusion: Hospitalized children with COVID-19 usually present as one of five major clinical phenotypes of decreasing severity. Risk factors for PICU include MIS-C, elevation of inflammation biomarkers, asthma, moderate or severe liver disease and cardiac disease.