Adolescents Hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2: Analysis of Clinical Profile and Risk Factors for Severe Disease over a two-year period

Introduction: There is a lack of studies in adolescents with COVID-19 from developing countries. We aimed to describe the clinical profile and risk factors for severe disease in adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively admitted cohort of COVID-19 patients was performed at a tertiary hospital in north India. Adolescents aged 12 to 18 years who were hospitalized during the first wave (March 2020 to December 2020) and the second wave (March 2021 to June 2021) of the pandemic were included. Data on the demographic details, clinical presentation, laboratory parameters, disease severity at admission, treatments received, and in-hospital outcomes were retrieved and logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for occurrence of moderate or severe disease. Results: The study included 197 adolescents with median (IQR) age 15 (13-17) years, of whom 117 (59.4%) were male. Among these, 170 (86.3%) were admitted during the 1st wave. Underlying comorbidities were present in 9 (4.6%) patients. At the time of hospital admission, 60 (30.9%) patients were asymptomatic. In the severity grading, 148 (84.6%) had mild, 16 (9.1%) had moderate, and 11 (6.3%) had severe disease. Fever (14.9%) and cough (14.9%) were the most commonly encountered symptoms. The median (IQR) duration of hospital stay was 10 (8-13) days and 6 (3.1%) patients died in hospital. The odds of moderate to severe disease were 3.8 for second wave, 1.9 for fever and 1.1 for raised C reactive protein (CRP). Conclusion: In our single-center study from northern India, adolescents admitted with COVID-19 had predominantly asymptomatic or mild disease. Admission during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, presence of fever and raised CRP were risk factors for moderate or severe disease.