TY - JOUR
T1 - Case series of variable acute appendicitis in children with sars-cov-2 infection
AU - Engelis, Arnis
AU - Smane, Liene
AU - Pavare, Jana
AU - Zviedre, Astra
AU - Zurmutai, Timurs
AU - Berezovska, Marisa M.
AU - Bormotovs, Jurijs
AU - Kakar, Mohit
AU - Saxena, Amulya K.
AU - Petersons, Aigars
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - This case series study consists of six children, aged 5–16 years, admitted to a centralized tertiary paediatric hospital serving a population of 1.9 million with acute appendicitis in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection. From the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 until August 2021, 121 COVID-19-positive children were admitted to the hospital. A total of 49 (40.5%) of these patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, of which six were diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Five underwent an appendectomy, while one was treated conservatively. To date, it has been reported that appendicitis may have a plausible association with SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. With COVID-19 cases rising, every medical specialist, including all paediatric surgeons, must be ready to treat common acute diseases with SARS-CoV-2 infection as a comorbidity. Providers should consider testing for this infection in paediatric patients with severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Non-surgical treatment of acute appendicitis in children may gain new importance during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Further studies are needed to prove the link of causality between COVID-19 and acute appendicitis in children.
AB - This case series study consists of six children, aged 5–16 years, admitted to a centralized tertiary paediatric hospital serving a population of 1.9 million with acute appendicitis in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection. From the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 until August 2021, 121 COVID-19-positive children were admitted to the hospital. A total of 49 (40.5%) of these patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, of which six were diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Five underwent an appendectomy, while one was treated conservatively. To date, it has been reported that appendicitis may have a plausible association with SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. With COVID-19 cases rising, every medical specialist, including all paediatric surgeons, must be ready to treat common acute diseases with SARS-CoV-2 infection as a comorbidity. Providers should consider testing for this infection in paediatric patients with severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Non-surgical treatment of acute appendicitis in children may gain new importance during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Further studies are needed to prove the link of causality between COVID-19 and acute appendicitis in children.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Paediatric abdominal pain
KW - Paediatric appendicitis
KW - SARS-CoV-2
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121659397&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/children8121207
DO - 10.3390/children8121207
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85121659397
SN - 2227-9067
VL - 8
JO - Children
JF - Children
IS - 12
M1 - 1207
ER -