Title : COVID-19 in Pediatric Patients with Hematologic Malignancies: A Case Series
Abstract:
The pandemic caused by the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected all age groups, including the pediatric population in 3–5% of all cases. The growing knowledge with regards to the diagnosis and treatment of COVID- 19 has pointed out that children are also vulnerable to the disease. And among the susceptible pediatric populations identified are those with hematological tumors who are immunosuppressed and have special therapeutic characteristics. The outcomes of patient with hematologic malignancy infected with COVID-19 have not been aggregated.
This case series describes 5 patients ages 3 to 13 years old, 4 out of 5 with known hematologic malignancies and 1 undiagnosed case. All were co-infected with Sars-COV 2 virus with unknown exposure and were admitted to a COVID referral hospital from March 2020 to May 2021. All of them presented with fever , with no other associated symptoms attributable to COVID 19, such as respiratory symptoms, difficulty of breathing, loss of smell or taste. Diagnostics done were complete blood count serial monitoring, inflammatory markers, septic and tumor lysis work up. 4 out of 5 patients received antibiotic therapy and blood transfusion. As their COVID 19 infection resolved after 7 to 14 days of isolation, evidenced by a negative repeat Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) nasopharyngeal swab of Sars-COV2, it was surmised that their extended hospital stay could be attributed to the routine management and complications of the leukemia per se.
This case series highlights the demography, clinical course and outcome of pediatric patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies with concurrent COVID-19 infection , who were admitted in a COVID referral center in Caloocan City.
