More kids were hit by upper airway infections during COVID omicron surge, studies show
During the winter omicron surge, hospitalized coronavirus-positive children were more likely to be hit with COVID-related upper airway infections than at other times of the pandemic, putting them at greater risk of severe disease, new data suggest.
One study found that the rate of upper airway infections — such as a type of bronchitis known as croup — among hospitalized coronavirus-infected children nearly tripled during the omicron era.
“Young children are especially vulnerable to (upper airway infection), given their small and relatively collapsible airways,” according to the study, published recently in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
More than 1 in 5 coronavirus-positive children hospitalized with an upper airway infection developed severe disease, the report said.
“Children with severe (upper airway infection) are at risk of cardiac arrest from rapid-onset upper airway obstruction,” and may require treatment in an intensive care unit, such as sedation and the insertion of a breathing tube.
—Los Angeles Times
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