Risk profiles of severe illness in children with COVID-19: a meta-analysis of individual patients

Background We prepared a meta-analysis on case reports in children with COVID-19, aiming to identify potential risk factors for severe illness and to develop a prediction model for risk assessment. Methods Literature retrieval, case report selection, and data extraction were independently completed by two authors. STATA software (version 14.1) and R programming environment (v4.0.2) were used for data handling. Results This meta-analysis was conducted based on 52 case reports, including 203 children (96 boys) with COVID-19. By severity, 26 (12.94%), 160 (79.60%), and 15 (7.46%) children were diagnosed as asymptomatic, mild/moderate, and severe cases, respectively. After adjusting for age and sex, 11 factors were found to be significantly associated with the risk of severe illness relative to asymptomatic or mild/moderate illness, especially for dyspnea/tachypnea (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, P : 6.61, 4.12–9.09,