Evaluation of complications and organ involvement in patients under 2 years of age who had COVID-19 infection.

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTİON: In our study, it was aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory findings seen in 0-2 age group patients who were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection who were hospitalized in our hospital, to evaluate the complications, to compare them with other viral infections other than COVID-19 and to compare the data of these two groups in terms of differences. MATERIALS and METHODS: Patients under the age of 2 and patients under the age of 2 who were hospitalized in Abant İzzet Baysal University Hospital Pediatric Health and Diseases COVID-19 Service since December 2019 and patients with other viral infections other than COVID-19 were evaluated. Demographic characteristics, birth history, anamnesis- physical examination findings, radiological imaging (lung radiography, tomography), blood tests (complete blood count, biochemical values, vitamin values, coagulopathy values of the patients were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS : 50.9% of COVID-19 positive patients were male and their mean age was 6.2 months.When the height-weight-head circumference measurements of the patients were analyzed, a significant difference was found between the positive and negative groups. Patients with non- COVID-19 viral infections had more intensive care admissions (23.4%). When the birth weeks and weights of the COVID-19 positive and negative groups were compared, no significant difference was found. The percentage of patients with non-COVID- 19 viral infections staying in neonatal intensive care and having chronic diseases was high. All patients had fever. Fever is an important clinical finding in this age group. While there was a significant difference between arrival and discharge in hemogram parameters of COVID-19 positive patients, it was not in negative patients. In our study, neutropenia (24.5%) was more common in COVID-19 positive patients, while leukocytosis was more common in non- COVID-19 viral infections. There was a significant difference between the admission and discharge liver function values of COVID-19 positive patients. There was a significant difference in ferritin and creatine kinase values in COVID-19 positive patients compared to negative patients. There was no significant difference in the comparison of vitamin values of the patients. Rates of myocarditis, enteritis, viral sepsis, hepatitis were higher in COVID-19 positive patients. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 is a serious fatal disease that can progress from mild clinical findings to MIS-C. Survival is increased with early diagnosis and necessary treatments. Although long-term complications are not clearly known, close follow-up is important, especially in the group under 2 years of age.