COVID-19 in Immunosuppressed Children

Viral respiratory infections are common infectious complications after kidney transplantation, especially in the pediatric age group, and immunosuppressed patients may develop more severe disease. Immunosuppressive medications alter the patient's immune response by acting on humoral, cellular immunity and neutrophil function, increasing the risk of serious viral infections. Little is known about how these patients respond to infection by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Experience with SARS caused by the Influenza H1N1 virus suggests that the severity of the disease depends on pre-existing comorbidities and the individual immune response. In more severe cases, an imbalance between the inflammatory system and the immune system is observed, determining direct consequences when pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines reach the systemic circulation in an exacerbated and unbalanced manner. Such fact can generate "cytokine storm syndrome", resulting in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. March 2020 reports from Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, Italy - one of the largest pediatric liver transplant centers - showed that the number of transplant patients infected with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) increased progressively. However, they did not see greater severity and complications in this population. Immunosuppression could act as a protective factor. The present study aims to describe the prevalence of viral infection by SARS-CoV-2 in a sample of immunosuppressed children, from three groups: kidney transplants, liver transplants and oncohematological. The investigators will also look for the epidemiological profile and clinical evolution of these patients, enabling a better understanding of the COVID-19 in this special population. The investigators' hypothesis is that infection with the new coronavirus may be asymptomatic in a large number of children and that immunosuppression, observed in liver and kidney transplant patients and also seen in cancer patients, may act as protection for severe forms of COVID-19. After obtaining written informed consent from the family, the investigators will include patients from 0-18 years of age, on regular outpatient follow-up, symptomatic or not, and will check for the presence of IgM/IgG antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2. For those symptomatic or with a positive IgM result, material (oro/nasopharyngeal swabs) for RT-PCR trial for the new coronavirus will be collected. Demographic and clinical variables will be registered. The outcomes are: Serology for COVID-19 result; PCR for COVID-19 result; presence of symptoms of COVID-19; proportion of patients with viral shedding on days 3,7,14,21 and 30 after diagnosis; need for hospital admission; need for Intensive care admission; death.

Sex

All

Minimum age

1 Month

Maximum age

18 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Renal or liver transplant patients, with functioning graft and using immunosuppression, in outpatient follow-up or hospitalized.
* Patients treating oncohematological disorders, in outpatient follow-up or hospitalized..

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who or whose parents refuse to sign the Informed Consent Form.

• RESULTDanziger-Isakov L, Steinbach WJ, Paulsen G, Munoz FM, Sweet LR, Green M, Michaels MG, Englund JA, Murray A, Halasa N, Dulek DE, Madan RP, Herold BC, Fisher BT. A Multicenter Consortium to Define the Epidemiology and Outcomes of Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients With Inpatient Respiratory Virus Infection. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2019 Jul 1;8(3):197-204. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piy024. PMID 29538674
• RESULTLee KH, Yoo SG, Cho Y, Kwon DE, La Y, Han SH, Kim MS, Choi JS, Kim SI, Kim YS, Min YH, Cheong JW, Kim JS, Song YG. Characteristics of community-acquired respiratory viruses infections except seasonal influenza in transplant recipients and non-transplant critically ill patients. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2021 Apr;54(2):253-260. doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2019.05.007. Epub 2019 Jun 19. PMID 31262511
• RESULTD'Antiga L. Coronaviruses and Immunosuppressed Patients: The Facts During the Third Epidemic. Liver Transpl. 2020 Jun;26(6):832-834. doi: 10.1002/lt.25756. Epub 2020 Apr 24. No abstract available. PMID 32196933
• RESULTCortiula F, Pettke A, Bartoletti M, Puglisi F, Helleday T. Managing COVID-19 in the oncology clinic and avoiding the distraction effect. Ann Oncol. 2020 May;31(5):553-555. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2020.03.286. Epub 2020 Mar 19. No abstract available. PMID 32201224
• RESULTRonco C, Reis T, De Rosa S. Coronavirus Epidemic and Extracorporeal Therapies in Intensive Care: si vis pacem para bellum. Blood Purif. 2020;49(3):255-258. doi: 10.1159/000507039. Epub 2020 Mar 13. No abstract available. PMID 32172242
• RESULTMemoli MJ, Athota R, Reed S, Czajkowski L, Bristol T, Proudfoot K, Hagey R, Voell J, Fiorentino C, Ademposi A, Shoham S, Taubenberger JK. The natural history of influenza infection in the severely immunocompromised vs nonimmunocompromised hosts. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Jan;58(2):214-24. doi: 10.1093/cid/cit725. Epub 2013 Nov 1. PMID 24186906