How does coronavirus proceed in children under one year old and what is dangerous

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

COVID-19 is a new viral disease that affects adults more. At the very beginning of the pandemic, scientists believed that children and adolescents did not get sick with it. But gradually, cases of infection began to be detected even in babies up to a year. Most often, the infection is mild, but sometimes severe conditions are also diagnosed. In order to timely identify the fact of infection, it is important to know how the coronavirus proceeds in children under one year old.

Why children are less prone to covid

Currently, scientists have not identified the exact cause of the high resistance of the child's body to the new coronavirus infection. So far, there are only a few hypotheses not fully understood:

• a large number of preventive vaccinations for children under one year old allows you to develop cross immunity to diseases of an infectious nature;
• the presence of innate immunity to viral infections;
• the content in the respiratory tract of ACE2 receptors, which are conductors of coronavirus, in infants is much lower than in adults.

Features of the course in children

It has already been proven that children under one year old become infected with COVID-19 only through direct contact with an infected person. Scientists deny the possibility of intrauterine infection from a sick mother, and the virus is not transmitted through breast milk.

In addition, if a woman contracted a coronavirus during pregnancy, her child is protected from developing serious complications in case of infection.

The incubation period in a child under one year old is the same as in adults, lasts from 7 to 14 days:

• 1-7th day - beginning;
• 8-14th day - high;
• from 14 days to 3-6 months - recovery.

Within 2-6 weeks after recovery, the child has a high risk of developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

How does the coronavirus proceed in children under one year old:

• at any stage of the disease, an exacerbation of a chronic disease can occur, up to organ failure;
• the duration of each of the periods of the disease may decrease or increase;
• chronic pathologies can significantly increase the duration of the infectious process;
• recovery can come abruptly at any stage.

Especially carefully, doctors monitor an infected child who has been diagnosed with congenital or chronic pathologies. Often, treatment takes place in a hospital setting so that doctors have the opportunity to adjust tactics in a timely manner.

Features of the course of covid in children under 1 month

Currently, only 5% of cases of neonatal covid are reported worldwide. Most often they tolerate it mildly. The main symptoms of the disease in children aged 0-4 weeks include:

• a slight increase in body temperature;
• bloating;
• diarrhea;
• frequent regurgitation;
• lethargy;
• weak sucking;
• tachycardia;
• cough;
• apnea;
• rapid breathing.

The risk of developing severe complications is noted in the following conditions:

• benign and malignant tumors;
• bronchopulmonary dysplasia;
• birth trauma;
• prematurity.

The severe form of covid in children of the first days of life is extremely rare.

How does the coronavirus proceed in children under one year old

The severity of the disease in children under one year old depends on the form of the disease and the presence of congenital and chronic pathologies.

According to the severity of COVID-19 in infants, it is classified as follows:

• asymptomatic;
• light;
• medium heavy;
• heavy;
• extremely heavy.

Asymptomatic covid in young children is detected only by testing, since there are no instrumental and clinical signs of it.

For a mild form, the following symptoms are characteristic:

• an increase in body temperature up to 37-38 ° C (but it may remain within the normal range);
• nasal congestion;
• sore throat;
• cough;
• signs of intoxication (muscle pain, weakness, and others).

More rare signs of a mild form include:

• skin rashes;
• diarrhea;
• pain in the abdomen;
• vomit;
• nausea.

The moderate form of coronavirus in children under one year old is manifested by the following symptoms:

• rapid breathing;
• an increase in body temperature to 38, 5 ° C;
• dry cough;
• viral pneumonia.

Severe covid in infants is diagnosed by the following signs:

• viral pneumonia, complicated by shortness of breath and cough;
• convulsions;
• loss of consciousness;
• lethargy;
• vomit;
• refusal to drink;
• lack of appetite;
• very noticeable retraction of the chest when inhaling;
• frequent, moaning breathing;
• cyanosis of the mucous membranes and skin.

With a severe form of covid, pneumonia in children under one year old develops both at the very beginning of the disease and after lesions of the gastrointestinal tract.

The critical form of coronavirus in young children is characterized by the development of multisystem inflammatory syndrome. This condition is manifested by the following symptoms:

• fever for more than two days;
• the development of inflammatory processes in 2 or more organs;
• swollen lymph nodes;
• conjunctivitis without purulent discharge;
• swelling of the feet and hands;
• joint pain;
• muscle aches;
• rashes on the skin;
• a change in the composition of the blood;
• gastrointestinal symptoms;
• signs of respiratory disease.

The danger of AIM lies in the risk of failure of vital organs, which is often the cause of death.

Diagnostics

If a child is suspected of having a coronavirus, the specialist first of all assesses the general condition and well-being. Then a number of diagnostic measures are taken:

• measurement of respiration rate, temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen level, blood pressure;
• weighing and measuring height, head circumference;
• assessment of the condition of the head and face, cranial sutures, fontanelles, head shape, size of lymph nodes, emotional state;
• listening to the chest with a phonendoscope;
• palpation of the abdomen;
• examination of mucous membranes and skin;
• local examination of the musculoskeletal system.

If necessary, the attending physician can prescribe general blood and urine tests, biochemical blood tests, hemostasis, and more.

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Why COVID-19 is dangerous for an infant

The main danger of a new coronavirus infection for children under one year old is the high risk of developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome. This condition can lead to inflammatory processes in different body systems:

• digestive;
• cardiovascular;
• respiratory;
• urinary.

In the absence of timely medical intervention, the child may develop multiple organ failure, sepsis, shock - the main causes of death.

Outcomes

Coronavirus in children under one year is most often asymptomatic or mild. The main danger of this disease for this category of patients is the sharp development of AIM, which can cause death. To protect your child, you need to consult a specialist at the first sign of ARVI.