The severity of COVID-19 infection in children with leukemia

• Published in: Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care Vol. 4; no. 4; pp. 258 - 262
• Main Authors: KOCA YOZGAT, Ayça, ISİK, Melek, KAÇAR, Dilek, GUZELKUCUK, Zeliha, KURTİPEK, Burçin, TURGUTOĞLU YILMAZ, Aslı, KÖSE, Volkan, GÜRLEK, Dilek, BAYHAN, Turan, ARMAN BİLİR, Özlem, OK BOZKAYA, İkbal, ÖZBEK, Namık Yaşar, YARALI, Hüsniye Neşe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 30.08.2023
• ISSN: 2717-7505; 2717-7505
• DOI: 10.47582/jompac.1298127

Aims: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been the cause of a global health crisis since the end of 2019. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical findings and treatment results of COVID-19 disease in pediatric patients with leukemia. Methods: All the children and adolescents with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the presence of underlying leukemia were included in the study. Results: A total of 44 leukemia patients with COVID-19 infection were included in the study. Their primary diseases were as follows: 36 patients were newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), four patients were relapsed ALL, two patients were refractory ALL, and two patients were acute myeloblastic leukemia. The mean age of patients was 104± 62 months. COVID-19 was asymptomatic in 11.4% of patients, mild in 84%, and moderate in 4.5% whereas none of our patients had a severe infection. No severe complications and/or death were observed in our study group. Conclusion: It has been found that the clinical course of COVID-19 is mild in children and adolescents with leukemia and undergoing chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy. Giriş: Koronavirüs hastalığı 2019 (COVID-19), 2019 yılı sonundan itibaren küresel bir sağlık krizine neden olmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı, lösemi nedeni ile takipli pediatrik hastalarda COVID-19 hastalığının klinik bulgularını ve tedavi sonuçlarını değerlendirmektir. . Gereç-Yöntem: Şiddetli akut solunum sendromu koronavirüs-2 (SARS-CoV-2) polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu pozitif olan lösemi tanısı ile takipli tüm çocuk ve ergen hastalar çalışmaya dahil edildi. Bulgular: Çalışmaya COVID-19 enfeksiyonu olan toplam 44 lösemi hastası dahil edildi. Primer tanıları açısından değerlendirildiğinde; 36 hasta yeni tanı akut lenfoblastik lösemi (ALL), 4 hasta relaps ALL, 2 hasta refrakter ALL ve 2 hasta akut myeloblastik lösemi idi. Hastaların yaş ortalaması 104±62 aydı. COVID-19 hastaların %11,4'ünde asemptomatik, %84'ünde hafif ve %4,5'inde orta şiddette seyrederken hiçbir hastamızda ciddi enfeksiyon görülmedi. Hiçbir hastamızda ciddi komplikasyon veya ölümde gözlenmemiştir. Sonuç: Çalışmamızda lösemi tanısı ile takipli ve kemoterapi veya immünsüpresif tedavi gören çocuk ve ergenlerde COVID-19'un klinik seyrinin hafif seyrettiği gözlemledik.