Mild coronary artery dilatation developed in some children with mild COVID-19 but completely regressed within 3 months

Aim We studied the incidence and time course of any coronary artery changes in children up to 2 years of age who were hospitalised with mild COVID-19. Methods This was a single-centre prospective study of 29 children (19 males) with a median age of 3 months and interquartile range (IQR) of 1.6-4.3 months. They were admitted to a Greek University hospital for mild COVID-19 from 1 March to 30 December 2021. Three echocardiographic evaluations were performed at a median (IQR) of 19 (16-24) days, 82 (75-89) days and 172 (163-197) after the first symptoms. The prevalence of coronary artery dilation, regression, and changes was documented. Results Coronary artery dilation was present in 3 (10.3%) cases at the first evaluation, with complete regression at the second. Regression was observed in 18/24 (75%) cases with follow-up data and 9 (31%) demonstrated significant z-score changes of >2. Coronary artery changes in any segment at any time were documented in 18/29 (62%) of the patients. Conclusion Cases of transient and very mild coronary artery dilatation following mild COVID-19 completely regressed within 3 months. Large-scale studies are needed to document the extent and time course of coronary artery dilation following paediatric COVID-19.

Automated summary

This study investigated the occurrence and time course of coronary artery changes in children hospitalized with mild COVID-19. It found that coronary artery dilation was present in a small percentage of cases at the first evaluation, but completely regressed within 3 months.