COVID-19 in children with haematological malignancies

Arch Dis Child. 2022 Feb;107(2):186-188. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-322062. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Abstract

Background: Children with cancer are not at increased risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, adults with haematological malignancies have increased risk of severe infections compared with non-haematological malignancies.

Methods: We compared patients with haematological and non-haematological malignancies enrolled in the UK Paediatric Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project between 12 March 2020 and 16 February 2021. Children who received stem cell transplantation were excluded.

Results: Only 2/62 patients with haematological malignancy had severe/critical infections, with an OR of 0.5 for patients with haematological compared with non-haematological malignancies.

Interpretation: Children with haematological malignancies are at no greater risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection than those with non-haematological malignancies.

Keywords: COVID-19; data collection; epidemiology.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • COVID-19 / immunology
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Hematologic Neoplasms / epidemiology*
  • Hematologic Neoplasms / immunology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Risk Assessment / statistics & numerical data
  • Risk Factors
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology
  • Severity of Illness Index*