| Title: |
Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Hospitalisation in Immunocompromised Children: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Italy and Norway |
| Authors: |
Chiara, Costanza Di; Boracchini, Riccardo; Trinh, Nhung T. H.; Giugni, Arianna; Sturniolo, Giulia; Visonà, Elisa; Judd, Ali; Prevost, Marthe Le; Thorne, Claire; Hardelid, Pia; Giaquinto, Carlo; Lupattelli, Angela; Donà, Daniele; Cantarutti, Anna |
| Contributors: |
Chiara, C; Boracchini, R; Trinh, N; Giugni, A; Sturniolo, G; Visonà, E; Judd, A; Prevost, M; Thorne, C; Hardelid, P; Giaquinto, C; Lupattelli, A; Donà, D; Cantarutti, A |
| Publisher Information: |
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.; GB |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca: BOA (Bicocca Open Archive) |
| Subject Terms: |
Children; COVID-19; Immunocompromised; Infections; Pediatric |
| Description: |
Aim Immunocompromised children (IC) were presumed to be at higher risk of SARS-COV-2 infection and severe COVID-19, but population-based evidence is limited. We assessed infection risk, COVID-19 hospitalisation, and severe outcomes in IC compared with children with and without other high-risk conditions. Methods We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study using electronic health registries from Italy and Norway, including children aged 1–14 years from February 2020–February 2022. Children were classified as IC, non-immunocompromised with high-risk conditions (non-IC), or reference children (RC). Adjusted models estimated infection hospitalisation risks. Results We included 29 520 children (IC = 201, non-IC = 5 144, RC = 24 175) in Italy and 851 517 (IC = 4 862, non-IC = 157 358, RC = 689 297) in Norway. Infection rates were similar across groups in both countries. Hospitalisations were rare in both datasets; however, in the Norwegian cohort, the aHR for hospitalisation was 5.29 (95% CI: 2.49–11.25) for IC vs. RC and 2.30 (95% CI: 1.10–4.82) for IC vs. non-IC. Zero and five severe cases occurred in Italy and Norway, respectively. Conclusions IC did not have an increased risk of infection but experienced higher hospitalisation rates despite a low incidence of severe disease. This pattern may reflect precautionary clinical management rather than increased disease severity. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
STAMPA |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
journal:ACTA PAEDIATRICA; https://hdl.handle.net/10281/598262 |
| DOI: |
10.1111/apa.70509 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/10281/598262; https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.70509 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; license:Creative Commons ; license uri:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.6B635B16 |
| Database: |
BASE |