Risk factors for a severe disease course in children with SARS-COV-2 infection following hematopoietic cell transplantation in the pre-Omicron period: a prospective multinational Infectious Disease Working Party from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation group (EBMT) and the Spanish Group of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (GETH) study - Summary - MDSpire

Risk factors for a severe disease course in children with SARS-COV-2 infection following hematopoietic cell transplantation in the pre-Omicron period: a prospective multinational Infectious Disease Working Party from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation group (EBMT) and the Spanish Group of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (GETH) study

  • By

  • Dina Averbuch

  • Rafael de la Camara

  • Gloria Tridello

  • Nina Simone Knelange

  • Tatiana A. Bykova

  • Marianne Ifversen

  • Veronika Dobsinska

  • Mouhab Ayas

  • Amir Ali Hamidieh

  • Herbert Pichler

  • Antonio Perez-Martinez

  • Simone Cesaro

  • Mikael Sundin

  • Isabel Badell

  • Peter Bader

  • Jan-Erik Johansson

  • Oana Mirci-Danicar

  • Petr Sedlacek

  • Catherine Paillard

  • Brenda Gibson

  • Sarah Lawson

  • Nicolaus Kroeger

  • Selim Corbacioglu

  • Malgorzata Mikulska

  • Jose Luis Piñana

  • Jan Styczynski

  • Per Ljungman

  • February 27, 2023

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To describe SARS-Cov-2 characteristics and outcomes in children following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and to identify factors associated with severe disease, emphasizing the significance of these factors.

Key Findings:
  • Eighty-nine children were reported, with a median age of 9 years; 96% had undergone allogeneic HCT. The total number of symptomatic children should be specified for context.
  • Common underlying diseases included acute leukemia (52%) and inherited disorders (17%).
  • 42% of children were asymptomatic; common symptoms included fever and cough.
  • 55% of children were hospitalized, with 10% requiring ICU care.
  • All ICU patients were neutropenic at diagnosis and receiving immunosuppressive therapy.
Interpretation:

Children with HCT are at increased risk for severe COVID-19, particularly those with neutropenia and lymphocytopenia, highlighting the need for targeted clinical interventions.

Limitations:
  • Data were collected before the Omicron variant, which may have different implications for disease severity.
  • The study's sample size was limited to 89 children across 28 centers, and potential biases in data collection methods should be acknowledged.
Conclusion:

Children with HCT are vulnerable to severe COVID-19, highlighting the need for targeted prevention and management strategies in this population, with an emphasis on ongoing monitoring and research.

Original Source(s)

Risk factors for a severe disease course in children with SARS-COV-2 infection following hematopoietic cell transplantation in the pre-Omicron period: a prospective multinational Infectious Disease Working Party from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation group (EBMT) and the Spanish Group of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (GETH) study

  • by Dina Averbuch, Rafael de la Camara, Gloria Tridello, Nina Simone Knelange, Tatiana A. Bykova, Marianne Ifversen, Veronika Dobsinska, Mouhab Ayas, Amir Ali Hamidieh, Herbert Pichler, Antonio Perez-Martinez, Simone Cesaro, Mikael Sundin, Isabel Badell, Peter Bader, Jan-Erik Johansson, Oana Mirci-Danicar, Petr Sedlacek, Catherine Paillard, Brenda Gibson, Sarah Lawson, Nicolaus Kroeger, Selim Corbacioglu, Malgorzata Mikulska, Jose Luis Piñana, Jan Styczynski, Per Ljungman

  • February 27, 2023

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