Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection: A review of the clinical-pathological correlations of coronavirus disease-19 in children
- Author:
Jerrold Tze-Ren Teo
1
Author Information
1. Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
- Collective Name:Nor Hazirah Abidin; Fook-Choe Cheah
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2);
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19);
Cytokine storm;
Innate immunity;
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C);
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)
- From:The Malaysian Journal of Pathology
2020;42(3):349-361
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic of acute respiratory disease
in just less than a year by the middle of 2020. This disease caused by the severe acute respiratory
syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in significant mortality especially among
the older age population and those with health co-morbidities. In contrast, children are relatively
spared of this potentially ravaging disease that culminates in the acute respiratory distress syndrome,
multi-organ failure and death. SARS-CoV-2 infection induces exuberant release of pro-inflammatory
mediators, causing a “cytokine storm” and hypercoagulable states that underlie these complications.
The SARS-CoV-2 infection median incubation is 5.1 days, with most developing symptoms by 11.5
days. It is highly infectious, spreading via the horizontal mode of transmission, but there is yet very
limited evidence of vertical transmission to the newborn infant occurring either transplacentally
or through breastfeeding. This said, various immune factors during childhood may modulate the
expression of COVID-19, with the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) at the
severe end of the disease spectrum. This article gives an overview of the SARS-CoV-2 infection,
clinical presentation and laboratory tests of COVID-19 and correlating with the current understanding
of the pathological basis of this disease in the paediatric population.
- Full text:5.2020my01081.pdf
