Characteristics and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 among children in Italy: a cross-sectional study in 20 pediatric centers

BackgroundNo study has described factors associated with COVID-19 diagnosis in children.AimDescribe characteristics and risk factors for COVID-19 diagnosis in children tested in 20 pediatric centers across Italy.MethodsCases aged 0-18 years tested for SARS-CoV-2 between February 23 and May 24 2020 were included. Our primary analysis focused on children tested because of COVID-19 suggestive symptoms.ResultsAmong 2494 children tested for SARS-CoV-2, 2148 (86.1%) had symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. Clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 included - beside fever (82.4%) and respiratory signs or symptoms (60.4%) – also gastrointestinal (18.2%), neurological (18.9%), cutaneous (3.8%) and other flu-like presentations (17.8%). In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 were: exposure history (adjusted OR 39.83 95%CI 17.52-90.55 pConclusionRecommendations for SARS-CoV-2 testing in children should be updated based on the evidence of broader clinical features. Exposure history, fever, and anosmia/ageusia are strong risk factors for COVID-19 in children, while other symptoms don’t seem helping discriminating in between the SARS-CoV-2 positive and the negative cases. This study confirm that COVID-19 is a mild disease in the general population of children in Italy. Further studies are needed to understand the risk, clinical spectrum and outcomes of COVID-19 in children with specific preexisting conditions.