Table 4
Comparison of clinical symptoms, management and outcomes among reported paediatric COVID-19 non-severe (n=2402 cases, 64 studies) and severe (n=796 cases, 38 studies) cases
| Characteristics | Non-severe cases | Severe cases | RR severe vs non-severe (95% CI) | ||||
| Events/total patients | Mean proportion % (95% CI) | Events/total patients | Mean proportion % (95% CI) | ||||
| Clinical symptoms | |||||||
| Fever | 1394/2404 | 51.4 (45.7 to 57.0) |  | 608/756 | 80.2 (73.6 to 85.5) |  | 1.39 (1.32 to 1.46) |
| Pharyngeal erythema | 541/1149 | 8.6 (5.1 to 14.0) | 41/585 | 8.8 (5.1 to 14.8) | 0.15 (0.11 to 0.20) | ||
| Cough | 587/1521 | 35.1 (29.2 to 41.5) | 225/618 | 34.0 (24.6 to 44.9) | 0.94 (0.84 to 1.07) | ||
| Comorbidity | 541/2283 | 19.8 (14.5 to 26.4) | 351/764 | 44.1 (34.9 to 53.8) | 1.94 (1.74 to 2.16) | ||
| Nausea/vomiting | 206/1291 | 12.1 (8.7 to 16.6) | 224/632 | 41.0 (36.7 to 45.5) | 2.27 (1.93 to 2.67) | ||
| Dyspnoea | 260/1646 | 12.7 (9.5 to 16.8) | 237/701 | 36.4 (26.5 to 47.5) | 2.14 (1.84 to 2.49) | ||
| Nasal symptoms | 402/1659 | 14.1 (9.9 to 19.7) | 91/652 | 15.8 (10.6 to 23.0) | 0.58 (0.47 to 0.71) | ||
| Fatigue | 192/1319 | 13.8 (10.4 to 18.0) | 151/505 | 20.3 (15.3 to 33.4) | 2.05 (1.70 to 2.48) | ||
| Kawasaki shock/sign | 135/1243 | 8.5 (5.6 to 12.6) | 242/695 | 30.7 (19.3 to 45.0) | 3.21 (2.65 to 3.87) | ||
| Rashes | 168/1587 | 10.3 (7.6 to 13.7) | 180/660 | 32.3 (22.3 to 44.2) | 2.58 (2.13 to 3.11) | ||
| Abdominal pain | 95/1193 | 8.1 (5.8 to 11.3) | 184/621 | 28.4 (18.8 to 40.4) | 3.72 (2.96 to 4.67) | ||
| Diarrhoea | 144/1326 | 13.5 (10.6 to 17.1) | 217/632 | 35.3 (26.3 to 45.4) | 3.16 (2.62 to 3.82) | ||
| Conjunctivitis | 111/1621 | 7.5 (5.1 to 10.8) | 116/657 | 22.6 (15.1 to 32.4) | 2.58 (2.02 to 3.29) | ||
| Neurological symptoms | 200/2230 | 11.0 (9.0 to 13.4) | 118/703 | 17.4 (11.9 to 24.6) | 1.87 (1.52 to 2.31) | ||
| Clinical management | |||||||
| Mechanical ventilation | – | – | 322/735 | 43.8 (33.8 to 54.3) | – | ||
| Antiviral | 217/715 | 26.5 (17.5 to 38.1) | 136/567 | 24.1 (16.2 to 34.3) | 0.79 (0.66 to 0.95) | ||
| Interferon | 127/685 | 20.2 (11.6 to 32.3) | 4/445 | 6.8 (3.6 to 12.3) | 0.05 (0.02 to 0.13) | ||
| Antibiotics | 180/363 | 21.6 (14.2 to 31.3) | 365/566 | 59.6 (44.3 to 73.3) | 1.30 (1.15 to 1.47) | ||
| Antimalarial | 73/717 | 10.1 (6.4 to 16.4) | 123/537 | 22.9 (14.3 to 34.6) | 2.25 (1.72 to 2.94) | ||
| IVIG | 54/721 | 11.8 (7.2 to 18.8) | 202/498 | 41.1 (27.0 to 56.8) | 5.42 (4.10 to 7.15) | ||
| Systemic steroids | 46/721 | 8.9 (5.4 to 14.4) | 265/575 | 46.8 (35.7 to 58.2) | 7.22 (5.39 to 9.69) | ||
| Inotropes | 24/718 | 6.8 (4.1 to 11.7) | 171/498 | 33.6 (21.2 to 48.9) | 10.27 (6.81 to 15.50) | ||
| Traditional medicine | 18/723 | 7.4 (4.8 to 11.3) | 4/575 | 6.3 (3.8 to 10.3) | 0.28 (0.10 to 0.82) | ||
| Aspirin | 11/683 | 6.7 (4.3 to 10.4) | 83/445 | 14.9 (7.9 to 26.4) | 11.58 (6.25 to 21.47) | ||
| Clinical outcomes | |||||||
| ICU | – | – | 793/796 | 95.0 (92.1 to 96.8) | – | ||
| Recovered | 1700/1925 | 85.4 (76.5 to 91.2) | 532/796 | 77.6 (67.5 to 85.3) | 0.76 (0.72 to 0.80) | ||
| Deaths | 0/1925 | 44/796 | 8.0 (5.2 to 12.1) | ||||
 |  | ||||||
ICU, intensive care unit; IVIG, intravenous immunoglobulin.