Paediatric hospitalizations over three waves of COVID-19 (February 2020 to May 2021) in Italy: determinants and rates

BACKGROUND: After a pneumonia outbreak in late 2019 in China, a new virus related to the Coronaviridae strain, called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the pathogen of an emerging disease known as COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19). Preliminary evidence outlines a higher prevalence in adults and lower susceptibility in children. However, recent epidemiologic research highlighted that transmissibility and susceptibility among children and adolescents become higher due to new virus variants. Infections among youth arises with mainly respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms and malaise. Nevertheless, critical illness affects new-borns and fragile children, requiring hospitalization and possibly intensive care support. Aim of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions among children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years over three waves of COVID-19 (from February 2020 to May 2021) in Piedmont, a large Italian region, and to investigate the possible determinants of hospitalizations. METHODS: A meta-analysis for risk assessment was performed over three waves of COVID-19 (from February 2020 to May 2021). Data were extracted from the official Italian National Information System and ISTAT. RESULTS: Overall, 442 paediatric patients were enrolled and admissions concerned mostly the age group 0–4 years (60.2%). Trends of hospitalization showed a slight increase of paediatric admissions already in March 2020 and a rise during second and third waves (November 2020, March 2021). Paediatric age-grouped hospitalizations (0–4; 12–17; 5–11) reproduced an analogous trend. The children and adolescent hospitalization rate appeared lower than overall population with a moderate slope of increase in comparison with population slope. Monthly hospitalization rate (per 100,000) of children and adolescents aged 0–17 years reproduced the increasing trend of hospitalization numbers. This trend was influenced, in particular, by the trend of hospitalization rates for children aged 0–4 years. The meta-analysis for risk assessment showed a decreased likelihood of rescue of hospitalizations in female, 5–11 and 12–17 age groups. Conversely, the meta-analysis showed a positive association between foreign nationality and hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a comparable trend of paediatric hospital admissions for COVID-19 and of the entire population hospitalizations over three waves. COVID-19 hospital admissions increase with a bimodal age distribution and the most admissions are among patients aged ≤4 or 5–11 years. Significant predictive factors of hospitalization are identified.