Pediatr Int . The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric hospitalization in Kitami, Japan

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Pediatr Int


. 2021 Jul 29.
doi: 10.1111/ped.14937. Online ahead of print.
The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric hospitalization in Kitami, Japan


Yuji Maruo ¹ , Shinichi Ishikawa ¹ , Kazumi Oura ¹ , Haruki Shiraishi ¹ , Norio Sato ¹ , Takashi Suganuma ¹ , Makoto Mikawa ¹ , Tomonobu Sato ¹



Affiliations

• PMID: 34324763
• DOI: 10.1111/ped.14937

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has drastically changed the recommended activities and environment of patients worldwide. Our aim was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric hospitalizations in Kitami, Japan.
Methods: A retrospective, single-center study was conducted on hospitalized patients aged 0-14 years at the Japanese Red Cross Kitami Hospital. We compared the incidence of pediatric patients hospitalized in 2020 with those in 2017-2019.
Results: The number of pediatric hospitalized patients dropped significantly in 2020 compared to that in 2017-2019 (median 43.0 vs. 78.5 per month, p < 0.001). The age was significantly older in 2020 (4.3 vs. 3.4 years, p < 0.001). Hospitalization from respiratory (8.5 vs. 30.5, p < 0.001) and gastrointestinal infections (3.0 vs. 6.0, p = 0.004) significantly decreased. Admission due to respiratory syncytial virus (0.0 vs. 4.0, p < 0.001), human metapneumovirus (0.0 vs. 1.0, p = 0.005), influenza (0.0 vs. 0.0, p = 0.009), adenovirus (0.0 vs. 1.0, p = 0.003), and rotavirus infection (0.0 vs. 0.0, p = 0.025) also decreased significantly. The <1-5 age groups significantly decreased (< 1 year old, 6.5 vs. 12.5, p < 0.001; 1-3 years old, 13.0 vs. 29.5, p < 0.001; 4-5 years old, 5.5 vs. 11.5, p < 0.001). Hospitalization due to foreign body ingestions increased significantly in 2020 (1.0 vs. 0.0, p = 0.010).
Conclusions: The COVID-19 control measures inadvertently reduced the number of hospitalized pediatric patients, especially in younger children with respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

Keywords: coronavirus; epidemiology; foreign body ingestion; gastrointestinal infection; respiratory infection.