COVID-19 pneumonia - pediatric

Case contributed by Francesca Finazzo
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Fever, dyspnea, cough and sputum production.

Patient Data

Age: 18 months
Gender: Male
x-ray

Mild peripheral left upper lobe consolidation.

Case Discussion

An 18-month-old with a family history of COVID-19 was admitted to the hospital for fever, cough and nasal discharge. The pharyngeal swab for COVID-19 nucleic acid test was positive.

He underwent to a chest X-ray that showed a mild peripheral left upper lobe consolidation. He recovered well after ten days, having being treated treatment with high-flow oxygen, corticosteroid and broad-spectrum antibiotics. He was discharged following two negative upper nasopharyngeal swabs.

There is little literature on pediatric COVID-19 infections. An analysis from China has shown that children younger than 10 years account for only 1% of COVID-19 cases. Children frequently have mild or asymptomatic disease, with pneumonia in a small number of cases. The typical radiographic image of pulmonary involvement in COVID-19 is ground-glass opacities and consolidation.

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