Health and nutritional status of children hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh

Objective To compare the health and nutrition of children younger than 5 years admitted to hospital during and before the coronavirus Methods We collected data from hospital records of children 0-59 months admitted to the Dhaka Hospital of the International Centre (pre-COVID-19 period; n = 6738). Data collected included sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical and biochemical characteristics. We compared these data for child admissions in the COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 periods, including infants 0-11 months born during and before the pandemic and admitted to hospital. Findings Admissions of children as a percentage of total admissions were lower in March 2020 (2.47%; 63/2552) than March 2019 (8.30%; 559/6738), but increased to 20.61% (526/2552) in February 2021, three times greater than in the pre-COVID-19 period (6.69%; 451/6738). Children admitted during the COVID-19 period were significantly more likely to have dehydration, severe sepsis or septic shock, convulsions, hypernatraemia and raised creatinine than children admitted before the pandemic (P < 0.05). In infants < 6 months and those born during the pandemic, stunting and wasting were significantly higher than in infants in the pre-COVID-19 period (P < 0.05). The risk of death was higher in infants < 6 months during the pandemic (odds ratio: 1.66; 95% confidence interval: 0.95-2.92). Conclusion During the pandemic, children presented with more severe illness and poorer nutrition. Efforts are needed to reduce the adverse effects of the pandemic on the health and well-being of children.

Automated summary

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital admissions of children showed significant fluctuations, with children admitted during the pandemic more likely to suffer from severe illness and poor nutrition. Efforts are needed to mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic on children's health.