• Xin Tan, Juan Huang, Fen Zhao, Yan Zhou, Jie-Qiong Li, and Xiang-Yun Wang.
• Department of Pediatrics, First Hospital of Changsha, Changsha 410005, China. wangxiangyun@126.com.
• Zhongguo Dang Dai Er Ke Za Zhi. 2020 Apr 1; 22 (4): 294-298.

ObjectiveTo study the clinical features of children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 13 children with SARS-CoV-2 infection who hospitalized in a Changsha hospital.ResultsAll 13 children had the disease onset due to family aggregation. Of the 13 children, 2 had no symptoms, and the other 11 children had the clinical manifestations of fever, cough, pharyngeal discomfort, abdominal pain, diarrhea, convulsions, or vomiting. As for clinical typing, 7 had mild type, 5 had common type, and 1 had severe type. The median duration of fever was 2 days in 6 children. All 13 children had normal levels of peripheral blood lymphocyte counts, immunoglobulins, CD4, CD8, and interleukin-6. The median time to clearance of SARS-CoV-2 was 13 days in the nasopharyngeal swabs of the 13 children. Three children presented false negatives for RT-PCR of SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 RNA remained detectable in stools for 12 days after the nasopharyngeal swab test yielded a negative result. Abnormal CT findings were observed in 6 children. All 13 children were cured and discharged and they were normal at 2 weeks after discharge.ConclusionsIntra-family contact is the main transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, and there is also a possibility of fecal-oral transmission. Mild and common types are the major clinical types in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and cytokine storm is not observed. Children with SARS-CoV-2 infection tend to have a good short-term prognosis, and follow-up is needed to observe their long-term prognosis. Multiple nucleic acid tests should be performed for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and their close contacts by multiple site sampling.

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