Resident New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center Weill Cornell Medicine New York, New York, United States
Background: Infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised children. Little is known about outcomes for immunocompromised children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objective: We describe our experience with immunocompromised children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/Methods: We analyzed acohort of children 21 years and younger with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection (by PCR or antibody testing) in the COVID-19 data repository at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. We examined healthcare utilization patterns from March to August 2020 for infected children who have an ICD10 code consistent with immunodeficiency.
Results: There were 866 individuals under 21 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection from March to August 2020. Thirty four (3.9%) had an ICD10 code consistent with immunodeficiency, including 26 with immunodeficiency not otherwise specified (D84.9), 14 with immune mechanism deficiency (D89, D71), 4 with inherited immune defect (D80-83, D84.1-2), 1 with immunodeficiency due to other causes (D84.8), and none with HIV (Z21, B20). Four (12%) had at least one emergency department (ED) visit, compared to 14.1% for those without immunodeficiency (p=0.76). Two (6%) had at least one hospitalization compared to 10.6% for those without immunodeficiency (p=0.56). Conclusion(s): In a cohort of people under 21 with SARS-CoV-2 infection, those with immunodeficiency required hospital based services at rates roughly similar to immunocompetent peers. Ongoing analyses will examine the severity of illness in this vulnerable pediatric population.
Authors/Institutions: Kala Levine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States; Alan Wu, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States; Erika Abramson, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States; Zachary Grinspan, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States; Elizabeth Feuille, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States
